


I Wouldn't call it a promotion...

by ShadowStrikeRaven



Series: How Things Change [6]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-27
Updated: 2013-01-27
Packaged: 2017-11-27 03:25:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/657524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowStrikeRaven/pseuds/ShadowStrikeRaven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin takes up the position of Court Sorcerer, but with his new abilities, his new duties and new... well, way of life in general, Will he be able to cope with it all? <br/>With training, diseases, fighting, disputes, the druids arriving in Camelot and sleepless, nightmare fuelled nights, For Merlin, everyday life in Camelot has never been more stressful...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Promotion...?

Merlin rolled over and saw sunlight streaming in from his window. Yawning, he realised that he just couldn't be bothered to get up. It was another half an hour before he could bear to drag himself from the comfort and warmth. Running a hand through the tangle of hair on his head, several raven coloured locks fell in front of his eyes. He pursed his lips, grimacing. Maybe Alice was right when she said it needed cutting. He yawned again, and shrugged on his jacket, before sleepily meandering down the stairs.  
Gaius looked up as Merlin appeared, and his face split into a huge smile.  
"Good afternoon Merlin. I hope you are feeling better?"  
"Yeah… Feeling just fine."  
"No problems with the magic?"  
"Surprisingly, it doesn't feel… too different…"  
"So you will be perfectly capable of collecting herbs for me?"  
"…" Merlin realised that he had walked himself into that one. "Well… I should probably head over to…" Something else Gaius had said came to the front of his mind. "Wait, Afternoon?"  
"Why yes Merlin. It's mid-afternoon…"  
"I slept for nearly a whole day?"  
"Yes… I'm guessing you're hungry?"  
"Starved…"  
Alice appeared in time to hear the last comment and a stern expression came over her face as she prodded Merlin on the shoulder.  
"Yes. Ive just been talking to Rosa, the head of the kitchens. She says you barely eat anything…"  
"Well… She force feeds me when I go down to the kitchens…"  
"And I don't blame her. Look at you. You're skinny as a broomstick. What would your mother say?"

Whilst she sat him at a chair, ladling stew into a bowl and talking non-stop at how much of a stubborn lad he was, Merlin tried, in vain, to get Gaius to help him out of his predicament, but the old man simply shrugged, gesturing he was not going to get in her way.  
Merlin's ears were still ringing as Gwaine walked in.  
"Merlin! Bout time you woke up. Cripes, you sleep like Tristan."  
Tristan was someone who could sleep through a battle if he wanted to, and was intensely grumpy if someone woke him up without good reason. Merlin scowled.  
"You could have woken me…"  
"Yeah, right. We all know how grouchy you are when your sleep is interrupted. "  
"I am not!"  
"As you say, Oh great and powerful magic man…"  
"Gwaine…" Merlins voice held a sliver of irritation, which Gwaine seemed to pick up on. Holding his hand up in surrender, he sunk onto the bench next to Merlin, sighing.  
"Ah well, at least some people get a day off. Arthur has had us running round like crazy…" Gwaine stalled, face falling guiltily. Merlin raised an eyebrow.  
"Why?"  
"Ah, nothing important… I just came up to say that Arthur wanted to see you in his chambers a soon as you woke up. Seeing as that's the case now, I'll walk down with you if you like?"  
"… Okay… And nice attempt to change the subject." Merlin wasn't letting him off that easily. "Now why have you been running around like crazy? Something I need to know of?"  
"Nah… just extra drills... and stuff like that…"  
"Oh really?" Merlin had got to his feet, pulling his jacket back on and heading for the door, hoping to escape before Alice could force feed him another bowl of stew. Gwaine got to his feet to follow.  
"Yeah… Unlike some people, we don't get days off… At least, not days that we spend sleeping…"  
"Hey! I was tired… I never meant to sleep that long anyway… I've hardly ever done it before."  
"I bet you wish that you could though…?"  
"… Maybe a little." Merlin grinned, then it turned to a smirk.  
"So… extra drills huh?"  
"Yeah…?"  
"Any reason why…?"  
"Err… Well, that is to say…" At Merlin's arched eyebrows, Gwaine stumbled. "I have no clue. Absolutely no clue. That is weird…"  
"What? That this is the first time you are stumped for a decent excuse or cover up?"  
"Look… Arthur will tell you. It's not my place to…"  
"Wait… Now you're keeping secrets from me? From me, Gwaine?" Merlins eyes widened, his gaze innocent and so puppy like that Gwaine cursed.  
"Damn it… That ain't gonna work this time…"  
"I'm surprised it did before to be perfectly honest…" Merlin grinned, "Ah well, I guess I can wait for a few more seconds…"  
"Seconds? It'll take a bit longer to reach Arthurs quarters than that…"  
Gwaine's face fell, visibly, at the evil grin on Merlin's face.  
"Oh really?" Merlin grabbed Gwaine's arm, and felt for a familiar pattern in the fabric of his magic. Willing himself there, he was surprised, no, down-right shocked, when he didn't have to cast a spell to let his magic free. A few seconds later, they were in front of the doors of Arthur's chambers.  
Merlin grinned as Gwaine stumbled into the wall, dizzy. He would contemplate this new ability of his later. Right now, the green shade on Gwaine' face was just too amusing to ignore.

It took several moments for Gwaine to get his balance back, and when he did, he glared at the grinning, raven haired warlock standing in front of him.  
"That was… Just… Don't ever, ever, ever do that again. Ever…"  
"Ah, you get used to it after a while…"  
"Not for me thanks…" As he realised where they were, he shook his head, bemused.  
"You just moved us halfway across the bloody castle… You not even the slightest bit tired?" Immediately, he knew he has said the wrong thing. Merlin's face fell as he thought that over.  
"No…" he was almost talking to himself, "But it should have…"  
Before Gwaine could comment, the doors behind them opened, and Arthur was looking between them with first annoyance, then concern as he saw Merlins face. Gwaine realised that it was time to leave.  
"Ah, forget it Merlin. It'll come in much more handy now…" he clasped the man on the shoulder, then walked off, wishing there was more he could do at times like this... and nursing the heaache he had from the night before.  
Merlin had nodded to Gwaine, and, at the sight of Arthurs concern, masked his own fears and confusion, before plastering a smile on his face. He was pretty sure Arthur wasn't fooled, but the king let it slide, gesturing Merlin inside.  
"It's about time you woke up, Merlin. I wasn't about to wake you. We all know what you are like when you get woken up…"  
"Hey! Gwaine said that too. I'm not that bad…"  
"If you say so…" Arthur sat himself on the chair, behind his desk, and Merlin perched on the edge of the table, avoiding the stacks of papers.  
"So… what was so important that you had to see me whilst I was still in a sleep befuddled state?"  
"Well… I figured that it would be easier to get what I'm about to say into your thick skull… Without you retorting with several, of what I'm sure will be, damn good arguments."  
Merlin was completely confused.  
"Arguments? Against what?"  
"Against the fact that I'm firing you…"  
_

Merlin was speechless for a good while, before he managed to splutter,  
"What… You're… firing me?"  
"Yes Merlin. I'm glad you seem to have the ability to coherently grasp that fact first time. Here, let me tell you why. You are, honestly, the worst servant I have ever had; you are constantly late, disrespectful and downright irritating most of the time. As well as that, you are constantly getting yourself into trouble protecting me, when it is, most definitely, not the role of a servant to do such a thing."  
"I… But you… Arthur… What?"  
"I now see that my fears of you arguing were rather ungrounded. Indeed, this is the quietest you have been in quite some time Merlin. And I have never seen you this stumped for words."  
"… Firing me?"  
"Really Merlin, I thought you grasped that first time."  
Merlin had got to his feet and was looking completely shocked, and his eyes were filled with hurt.  
"So… What? You don't want me here? Is that it? I don't… Why?"  
Arthur rolled his eyes, gesturing for Merlin to it back down. When he didn't do so, Arthur got to his feet and pushed him into the chair.  
"I just gave you a long list of reasons Merlin. As for wanting you to leave, What on Earth gave you that idea? You really are an idiot, aren't you?"  
"But you… But what…?"  
"If you will let me finish, I have another reason. As I said, it is not the place of a servant to protect a king. It is also not the place of a king to leave his best friend in a menial position such as the one you are currently occupying."  
Merlin's eyes widened at those words, his normally speedy brain racing to catch up. He hadn't quite managed it before Arthur spoke again, taking Merlins place leaning against the desk.  
"So, I will no longer have you as a servant. Instead, I want you to fill a position that has remained empty for far too long in Camelot. Namely that of Court Sorcerer. What do you think?"

Merlin was silent for several minutes, his mouth opening and closing, his face covered in an expression of complete shock and bewilderment. Just as Arthur was getting worried, he managed to whisper faintly.  
"Court… Sorcerer? You want me to… Court Sorcerer? Are you serious?"  
Arthur rolled his eyes,  
"Of course. It's only logical, though the idea was kind of Gwen's to start with. I mean, you have been unofficial court sorcerer for weeks now, so it's about time we made it official, even though we still need to sort things, but we still need to know whether you want to…"  
He was cut off as two, surprisingly strong, arms pulled him into a hug. Merlin released him, his eyes sparkling with a barely concealed excitement.  
"You want me to be Court Sorcerer?"  
"Yes… Honestly, how many times will I have to say it before it gets through to you…?"  
Merlin sank into the chair again, his recent panic over Arthur firing him had vanished, replaced by a mixture of excitement, happiness and apprehension.  
"But… I have no idea how to do something like that… I'm an idiot, remember?"  
"Sometimes… But, to be honest with you Merlin, you are the only person I would trust with the job. In the past, it was always a position that was revered. A position only surpassed by that of the King. It was a position given to one who deserved respect and gratitude and that is something you deserve in greater amounts than I could possibly hope to reward you with. But, it would be a start. Though, of course, the choice is up to you. All I can say is that there is no-one I would rather have at my side. No-one I would rather have as my right-hand man so to speak. What do you say?"  
Merlin looked slightly surprised at the speech Arthur had just given, and his mind finally caught up to what was happening. He felt himself smiling, and nodded.  
"I'd be honoured Sire."

The two were silent for a few moments until a thought came into Merlin's head. His face split into a grin.  
"You do know that this is a promotion right?  
Arthur snorted,  
"I wouldn't go that far…"  
"But it is… You're promoting me. Never thought I'd ever see that happening…"  
"Believe me, you aren't the only one…"  
"So it is a promotion!"  
"I… I wouldn't call it a promotion. More of an upgrade in position and status."  
"Promotion."  
"No…"  
"Promotion."  
"Merlin!"  
"Admit it's a promotion!"  
"Yeah, alright. It's a promotion. But don't let it go to your head…"  
"Me? Humble, little me? How dare you suggest such a thing…?"  
"Because I know that you will never let this go."  
"Arthur! I'm hurt…"  
"And laughing inside that huge head of yours…"  
"Oh, I have a huge head?"  
"Yeah! I hope you aren't implying that I do… It's still not too late for me to throw you in the stocks…"  
"I thought that I had a huge head? Wouldn't fit would it?"  
"Bigger target…"  
"Really? Just opening your mouth gives anyone, who cares, a target that it virtually impossible to miss…"  
"Merlin…?"  
"Yes Sire?"  
"Shut up."  
"So I get both a promotion and an admittance of defeat from you in one day? Wow… I think I may be dreaming…"

He yelped as Arthur pulled him into a headlock. Arthur grinned as Merlin tried to squirm out of it.  
"Well, does this convince you otherwise?"  
"Yes! I'm not dreaming and you really are as big a prat as I've always thought…"  
Arthur rubbed his knuckles into Merlins head, causing him to yelp again.  
"Okay! Royal Prat!"  
His knuckles dug in a bit harder,  
"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry!"  
Arthur let him go, and Merlin scrambled back, massaging his head, hair even scruffier than before. The warlock scowled, trying to hide his grin.  
"That was uncalled for…"  
"Oh no, that was perfectly called for. And long overdue…"  
"What? The promotion was long overdue? Well, can't argue there…"  
"Merlin…" Arthur nearly growled it, and Merlin let his grin show.  
"Point taken Sire."  
"What point?"  
"No point at all."  
"Well then, seeing as you haven't officially been promoted yet, you can still clear up the mess."

Merlin looked around at the pies of paper that had been blown off of the desk and sighed. That would have to be sorted by hand…  
"Oh, and Merlin? I have to head out and find Gwen. Just wanted you to know that I already have an idea of who I want for a new servant. A friend of yours, Flint I think people call him? I've already asked… He seems perfect. Sharp tongued, quick minded, strong willed... I know he'll be absolutely terrible."  
Merlin grinned,  
"Perfect. Wouldn't want you to have no-one to put you in your place…"  
"With you and Gwen, is there ever going to be a chance for me to get out of it?"  
"Nope…"  
Arthur left the room, smiling widely, and only just heard the insult behind him.  
"Clot-pole…"  
"I heard that!"  
"Heard what Sire?" The innocence in Merlin's voice nearly had Arthur fooled,  
"You know damn well what! And quit shouting at me!"  
"You're the one shouting… I know you have a big mouth and all, but…"  
"Merlin!"  
"Shut up?"

Arthur didn't deign to reply, and kept walking, letting a huge grin spread across his face.  
Merlin was grinning too, though it dimmed slightly as he began to sort out the paper work. A half written speech caught his eye and he grimaced. Arthur really had no skill when it came to writing. Sitting down, he grabbed some parchment and started scrawling. Promotion, maybe, but he would be damned if he could ever let Arthur write a speech on his own…


	2. Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day starts wit a nightmare, but Can Merlin's day get better?

Merlin opened his eyes and saw daylight streaming in. Jumping to his feet, he ran across the room, snatching up his jacket. He hated being late…  
Running down through the castle, he was surprised by the lack of people he saw. The halls were nearly empty. His confusion was swiped away at his arrival on the training fields. Gwaine, Bedivere, Tristan, Percival, Peredur, Owain, Erec and Daniel were waiting there, impatient expressions on their faces.  
"Bout time you got here…" Gwaine huffed, good-naturedly, "But Arthur still hasn't arrived…"  
"But it's almost an hour after what we arranged…" Merlin said, then shrugged. "Sorry I'm late. We can start now? Arthur could always join in later…"  
Five minutes later and he was blasting jets of magic at them. Suddenly, he felt something pushing at him, something powerful. The knights noticed the sudden halt of the barrage and looked at him concerned.  
"Merlin?" Bedivere sounded worried, "What the hell… Your eyes…"  
Merlin looked at his reflection in a nearby shield and froze; his eyes were a blazing gold, shot through with streaks of red. He tried to speak, but the voice that came out wasn't his own.  
"Fear… Power…" the voice was low, hoarse, yet also powerful, commanding. Before Merlin knew what was happening, magic flew from his body, in roiling waves of gold and red. He couldn't control it. After a few moments, it stopped and Merlin found himself in control again. That's when he saw his friends. He reached the prone form of Gwaine first, and checked his pulse. Nothing. Then Bedivere, Peredur, Percival… On and On… Dead, All dead… He had killed them… all of them… He fell to his knees, next to Gwaine, and found his hands covered in blood.  
"No…" At first, his voice was a whisper, then it became stronger, "No…"  
A cry forced its way out of his throat and his grief and guilt and rage seemed to explode with it.  
_

"No!" Merlin shot up, his blankets flying halfway across the room and several objects rattled, falling to the floor. His breath came in huge, heaving gasps and his body shook. He stayed that way for several moments, trying to calm himself and failing. The nightmares again… this was even worse than the one before. He looked up as Gaius burst into the room, panic written across his face.  
"Merlin! Whatever…" he saw the state of the room, then saw the state of his ward, placing two and two together in his head.  
"Did you have a… Nightmare?"  
"Yes…" Merlins voice shook slightly, and he repeated the word. "Yes… and it was bad… Gaius, I lost control of it…"  
"Of what?" The physician sat on the edge of the bed, and his presence soothed Merlin slightly,  
"My magic… the new power… I lost control and I… I killed them Gaius… All of them…"  
Merlin held back a sob as the emotions of a few moments before came streaming back. Gaius pulled the shaking young man into a firm embrace, waiting until the tremors had stopped, then he pushed him back and looked him in the eyes.  
"Merlin… It was a dream. Nothing more. You could never lose control like that."  
"But it was… so real…"  
"No. It will never happen…" The young warlock looked terrified, and Gaius noticed that the trembling was starting again. "Merlin!" The young man looked up at him, and Gaius was shocked at the fear in his eyes. He had rarely seen his young ward this afraid.  
"Merlin… It couldn't happen. It won't ever happen. You could never lose control like that. Not only are you strong enough to control it, but the very fabric of the world of magic would never let you lose control… You can deal with this. I promise you, you can deal with this."  
Merlin saw the complete faith his mentor had and felt some of his fear trickling away.  
"But it's so… it's so much Gaius… And it's so strong…"  
"And a part of you. It will take time, but you will come to believe that. And you will come to realise that you have the will… the ability to control it. You're one of the strongest people I know Merlin, even without using magic."  
Merlin gave him a shaky smile, his fear and doubt starting to drain away at the sincerity in the old man's voice. Gaius saw he was calming down an spoke again.  
"Merlin… I know you have always dealt with things yourself… in your own way… But you have people who care about you. People who worry about you. People who have started to realise when something is wrong, even when you bury it."  
"And there was me thinking I was a good actor…"  
"You are too good an actor, and that's the problem. You know I will always be here Merlin. Anytime. Even if you aren't going to be living here anymore?"

He made it a question and was relieved when Merlin gave him a much wider smile. True enough, Arthur had had one of the old towers cleared and furbished, a task that had taken a mere two days to complete with the help of several sorcerers. They had been, traditionally, where the Court Sorcerer had lived, and now, as such, were where Merlin would be living. Merlin yawned and looked out of the window only to see that it was still dark.  
"Gaius? You should get some sleep. Sorry I woke you…" He sounded guilty and Gaius hastened to quash the feeling.  
"Nothing to be sorry for. Now come on, you need more sleep too. It's going to be a busy day…"  
Merlin had a flash of panic at the thought of inking into another nightmare, but realised that Gaius was right. A faint smile came over his face as he realised that it would, indeed, be a busy day. One of the busiest he had ever had. He nodded to Gaius.  
"Okay…" he word had barely left his mouth when he suddenly felt a wave of fatigue overcome him and sank his head onto his pillow again. He didn't bother fetching the blanket. It wasn't cold. It took only a few moments for him to drift off again.

Gaius went and picked up the blanket, before letting it fall over Merlin. After everything he had been through when he had had his magic snatched from him… He had suffered so much… Unbidden, a memory came into his head of a conversation, a few years ago. Where he had had to convince Merlin that he wasn't a monster. Looking down at the young man, who he saw as the son he had never had, he realised that his job may not yet be done. He only wished he could do more to make Merlin see that he should give himself more credit than he actually did. Could do something to convince Merlin that he was stronger than he thought. Was better than he gave himself credit for. Because he truly was one of the greatest men Gaius had ever known, and he needed to see that.  
_

Merlin opened his eyes, and immediately felt a smile come to his face. He had been smiling an awful lot over the past three days, since Arthur had informed him of his plans. But nobody seemed to mind his constant chirpiness. In fact, Camelot had seemed to brighten up considerably, with everyone he knew, which was just about everyone, matching his own moods. It had got to the point that, whenever he gave one of his trademark grins, anyone in the nearby vicinity felt themselves smiling like a loon too.  
His face fell as he remembered the event of a few hours previously and he calmed his breathing. If Gaius thought he could handle it, then he most likely could. He had to give it time. Had to wait.  
Merlin hated waiting.  
But he liked the smell that was wafting through the door and jumped to his feet. He was completely dressed, washed and had tidied up the mess from the night before in a little over ten minutes and head down the small staircase. Alice was ladling a honey coloured, oaty smelling, tasty looking mush into bowls and Merlin's stomach growled. Alice tuned and smiled when she saw him, before handing him a bowl and a spoon.  
"Come on, eat. You are meant to be over with Geoffrey and Arthur in a little less than an hour…"  
Merlin resisted the urge to face-plant the table.  
"Yeah… More talking about old traditions and etiquette that Arthur doesn't even pretend to be interested in and that I have no intention of following. What fun…"  
"Well… That too, but I think it's more about the ceremony tonight…"  
"Tonight?" Merlin finally let the implications of what was happening sink in and his spoon froze, halfway to his mouth. "This is actually happening… Alice… It's actually happening!"  
All lingering doubts and fear from his Nightmare had vanished to the back of his mind as he dropped his spoon and got to his feet, bouncing over to Alice and pulling the woman into a firm embrace, lifting her into the air. She started laughing both at the suddenness of the embrace and at the unvarnished joy on his face. As he put her down again, grinning from ear to ear, she heard the door open and her face split into a wider smile. She poked Merlin' shoulder,  
"Oi! Loony… There is someone here to see you…"  
"Who?"  
"Turn around…"

Merlin turned and burst into delighted laugher again, running to pull the visitor into a hug.  
"Mother! I had no idea you were coming!"  
Hunith burst into laughter, both at the joy of seeing her son again and at the way Merlin was acting, as she returned the embrace.  
"You think I would ever miss this?" She said, and Merlins smile faded to an expression of joy and contentment that only she would understand.  
"It's actually happening… It worked…"  
Hunith pulled her so into an embrace again, wondering when he had got so tall.  
"Of course it worked… And I'm so proud of you…"  
Merlin wiped the tear from her cheek before it had truly had a chance to fall and pulled his mother over to the table, placing another bowl of food in front of her. As they ate, and talked and caught up with old news, Hunith noticed that her son's smile never faded, but that Gaius was looking at him, concerned. Resolving to ask her old friend about it, later, she related news from Ealdor, listened to the recent events from Camelot and laughed over old stories until Arthur arrived, wondering why Merlin was late.  
The king brushed aside the young man's half formed apologies, greeting Hunith with a huge smile and a warm embrace.  
"It's good to see you gain Hunith… Though I thought you would not be arriving until later today?"  
"We made good time, Sire…"  
Arthur realised that it felt wrong to have the woman calling him by a title and hastened to rectify it.  
"Please, Hunith. I would have hoped at we were past titles. It's Arthur."  
"…Very well. Arthur it is. Though I believe you boys have some things to be getting on with?"  
If Arthur had any problem with being called a boy, then he didn't show any hint of them, instead nodding.  
"Yes… We still have quite a list of things to get done before tonight. Merlin? It won't do to keep Geoffrey waiting… you know what he can be like…"  
Merlin shuddered slightly.  
"More than you know…" He turned to his mother, hugging her again as Arthur left the room.  
"I guess I'll see you later."  
"Of course. Now move it. I expect Arthur to be calling for in in… ooh, about… three… two… one…"  
"Merlin! Move it!"  
Merlin laughed as he sped off to catch up and Hunith smiled. She had rarely seen her son this happy… Speaking of happy…  
"Gaius? Why were you so worried about Merlin this morning?"  
Gaius sighed, motioning her to a chair,  
"It's a long story…"  
_

Merlin sank into a chair, a headache beginning to form. Geoffrey had the most boring voice…  
Hearing someone sit opposite him, he peeked through an eyelid to see Arthur, looking equally fed-up.  
"I swear… Even his lessons on history were never this boring…"  
"I would rather clean the stables every day for a week than go through that again," Merlin responded, in way of agreement. Then he noticed the parcel Arthur had placed onto the table.  
"What's that?"  
"Well… we can't have you joining the court dressed like that… Can we?"  
Merlin got defensive.  
"Hey! I love this jacket… and don't you dare insult my neckerchief… No I changed my mind. Insult it. Insult the neckerchief. I dare you…"  
"Alright, calm down. Honestly. Gwen chose them, not me. And I have a feeling you'll like them. You'll have to get used to being treated like royalty Merlin. I'm not going to stand for anything less."  
Merlin shook his head, exasperated and tore open the paper. He was silent for a few moments as he held the contents, before looking at Arthur, who had an amused gleam in his eye.  
"Well? Do you like them?"  
"Arthur… I… I've never…"  
"Had anything even remotely like it, I know. You'll get used to it though… You like them… Right?"  
He looked worried for a moment, but Merlins response had him smiling again.  
"They are great… Thankyou…" Merlin looked up and gestured around the rooms. "For all of this… I don't know how to thank you…"  
"I don't want to hear any thanks' Merlin. This is my way of starting to thank you. For everything… And apologise… For everything… And just..."  
"What do you have to apologise for?"  
"A lot of things. I treated you terribly. Both when you worked for me and when I found out about your magic…" His eyes slid to the scar that he knew was on Merlins right arm. One that he had put there.  
"And I hope this can start to make up for some of it…"  
Arthur froze, momentarily, as he felt himself enfolded in a hug, before he returned the embrace, if somewhat awkwardly.  
"Arthur… You have done more for me than you could ever hope to understand. And you don't need to apologise for anything. After all, What are friends for, Eh?"  
Arthur grinned.  
"Irritating you?"  
Merlin laughed.  
"Damn right."

Arthur left a few minutes later to finalise arrangements and Merlin started to feel slightly nervous. In a few hours, he was going to hold one of the most powerful positions in Camelot. And truthfully, the thought scared him slightly. He pulled the clothes from the package and felt an intense gratitude to Gwen. Besides the velvet-like blue tunic, the soft brown leggings, the brand new boots, the thick, brown belt and the deep blue, floor length -well, cloak was the only word for it - with a golden dragon-shaped clasp, was a brand new, bright red neckerchief. As he let the fabric slide through his fingers, he smiled. Of course he could get through this. How could he not when he had such friends like his…


	3. "You ready for this Merlin?"........ "Nope..."

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, Merlin gets a position he deserves, as well as a few extra... gifts.

Merlin had just finished dressing when Arthur walked in again.  
"Merlin? Are you…" His eyes widened as he took in the outfit, from the deep blue cloak, to the bright red neckerchief. "Wow…"  
"What? Do I look that bad?" Merlin was only half faking the panic in his voice, and Arthur seemed to sense it.  
"No… It suits you. Surprising though that may be… You know you have nothing to worry about, right?"  
"Of course! I can get through this. I'm magic remember? I'm only about to be a part of one of the most radical changes that Camelot has experienced in over twenty years, whilst simultaneously taking up a position which holds a huge amount of responsibility… Nothing to worry about at all…"  
Arthur sighed, exasperated.  
"Merlin… You've been unofficial court sorcerer for weeks now. This doesn't really change anything… And I got you something by the way, I kinda gave it to you before, but didn't give it to you, and I should have, kind of like a poetic symmetry I think… I mean, you won't really be able to use it amazingly well, but you are surprisingly good if you want my honest opinion and… "  
"Arthur? What in Camelot's name are you blathering on about?"  
Arthur shut up, hiding his sheepish expression and looking slightly awkward as he held out a long, thin wooden box to Merlin. Laying it down on the table, Merlin lifted the lid and stifled a small gasp as he saw what lay inside it.  
"Arthur… Are you sure? I mean… This was pretty much a constant companion to you for... well, years…"  
"And it deserves more than being locked away. I would rather you have it than anyone else… I mean, your familiar with it and…"  
"You mean after years of polishing and sharpening it?"

Merlin held up the sword, the one that had swung at Arthurs hip, for most of his life, until it was replaced by Excalibur, and he was surprised that it felt… strangely comfortable… felt right in his hand. Arthur handed him the sheath, and Merlin didn't know what to say as he held the blade in his hands.  
"Arthur… Are you sure?"  
"Of course I'm sure. Just don't kill yourself with it… I don't want that on my conscience…"  
He smiled at the grin that spread across Merlins face, and gestured for the young man to belt it on.  
"For the ceremony?" Merlin seemed slightly surprised, but Arthur simply shrugged.  
"Why not?"  
Merlin nodded and belted the sheath around his waist. The second belt, swinging lower on his hip than the first, seemed natural, and the weight of the sword, as he slid it into place, felt both natural and reassuring.  
"What do you think?" Merlin struck a ridiculous pose that had the both of them bursting into laughter, which was only quelled by Gwen's arrival.  
"Look at you two! Giggling like children…" Her eyes strayed to Merlin and her eyes widened slightly.  
"Oh… Merlin! It's perfect! Even if I do say so myself… And isn't that…?"  
Her eyes had strayed to the sword and her eyes widened with recognition.  
"It suits you… Strange as that is… Does it have a name?"  
Merlin looked to Arthur, who shrugged.  
"I guess I kinda… never really… Anyway, Merlin should name it. It is his now, after all…"  
Merlin gestured, wildly.  
"And how on Earth do you go about naming a sword?"  
"Well…" Arthur considered, and Gwen butted in,  
"Normally something you've done of great merit… something true about a person… Something personal… I don't know Merlin. It's pretty much down to you…"  
"…How about I think it over?" Merlin looked like he was seriously considering the conundrum they had placed in front of him, and Gwen shoved him, good-naturedly, to the door.  
"Arthur? We'll be starting soon…"  
"Right… Merlin? You ready?"  
"No…" At the raised eyebrows, he sighed, "Fine… let's get this over with…"

They were in position, in the throne room, just as the main body of people started filing in. Many looks were directed at Merlin, or, more precisely, at his new outfit. As people started to notice the sword, whispers filed the hall. Merlin tried to ignore them, keeping a straight face, but It wasn't made easy by Gwaine and Bedivere attempting to make him laugh. He scowled at them, but they simply grinned, elbowing Leon and whispering to him. As the other knight smiled too, Merlin resolved to ask them just what was so funny as soon as he got the chance. As it was, the whispering had eventually died down as Arthur got to his feet, and Merlin tuned to him, curiosity mixing it panic, as he realised that Arthur was about to give a speech. That he had written himself. Merlin's dread, however, was proved unnecessary, as Arthur started to speak.  
"Several week ago, Our land was rid of one of the greatest threats that it has ever been presented with, namely that of the Sorceress, Morgana."  
"More like witch…" Merlin heard Gwaine mutter, and had to stifle a smile as Arthur continued.  
"Since then, Camelot has been rebuilt, has forged new connections between kingdoms and has become a more peaceful, prosperous and thriving place than I could ever have hoped for. All of this, and much more, we owe to one man."  
Every eye in the hall turned to Merlin, who was trying to hide the awkwardness he felt at the attention. Arthur helped him out of the predicament by speaking again, drawing the eyes away.  
"During the last Twenty years of my father's reign, this land was plunged into a darkness that should never have come to pass. That I refused to see for a great many years. It cut off one of the strongest arms of this kingdom, causing the deaths of many innocent people. Deaths that can never be forgotten, or forgiven. By repealing the ban on magic, I simply righted a wrong. Today, I hope to do more than that. I hope to create a closer bond between those with magic and those without, in the hope that the wounds of this land may, at long last, begin to heal. For this reason, and for a great many more, I am reinstating a position that has not been held in Camelot for a great many years. For far too many years. Namely that of Court Sorcerer."  
Of the few in the hall that had not heard this, seeing as details of what was happening had been confined only to the knights and a few select people, there was hushed whispering, which quickly faded into silence again, as everyone concentrated on the Kings words.  
"It is a position that has long been revered and respected, a position that was only given to those to whom A King would place his complete trust and confidence. And I can think of no-one better suited to the position than Emrys. Or rather, Merlin."  
If anyone was expecting shocked gasps, they would have been disappointed, as every single person in the hall was not at all surprised by the turn of events. Indeed, as Merlin made his way to the dais and knelt in front of Arthur, all in the hall wore smiles.  
"Merlin Emrys. With the power granted to me by the position I hold as King of Camelot, and in the name of Camelot itself, I hereby appoint you Magical Advisor to the Court and Sorcerer to the Crown."  
Merlin blinked at the last words, but he hid his surprise as he got to his feet, grasping Arthurs forearm in a firm grip. Both of them ginned at the exact same moment, and Gwen's face was split by a smile as she saw the joyous expressions.  
Gwaine started clapping just before Bedivere and Peredur. It was less than two seconds later that the rest of the knights followed suit, shortly followed by the remainder of the people in the hall. As Merlin released his grip on Arthur's arm, he was enveloped by a group of knights. It took a few moments for him to disentangle himself, but, when he did, he couldn't keep the serious expression on his face and his face devolved into a huge, lopsided grin. Gwaine wrapped an arm around his neck and punched his arm,  
"About time mate… Arthur should have fired you weeks ago…"  
"Nah… He would have been lost without me…"  
"Wouldn't we all…" Bedivere said, grinning, before slapping him on the back.  
As the other knights gave him heir congratulations, Merlins attention was drawn by a gaze from the other side of the hall. His smile widened as he caught his mother's eye, a few happy tears pooling in her eyes.  
Excusing himself, Merlin made his way over to her, mumbling half formed thanks and responses to the people talking to him. As he hugged her, realising, again, how tall he had grown, he felt himself sigh, letting out all of the pent up emotion inside him.  
"We did it…" he said, quietly enough that only she could hear.  
"No… You did it. You did it Merlin."  
Before he could say more, Gaius had pulled him into a firm embrace too,  
"You did it my boy..."  
"And a lot of the credit should go to you…"  
"No… This is your moment. I did what any father would do…"  
"Father?"  
"Yes… you are like a on to me Merlin. And I am so proud of you."  
"And you know that I think of you as a father, Gaius. As much as, no… more so than Balinor."  
"Then I ask for nothing more. Now, I think that Arthur wants you…"

The feast that followed was one of the best Merlin had ever been to. At first, he had been slightly awkward, used to, as he was, running around with a pitcher. But, as he sat at the place of honour at Arthur's right hand, he felt himself adjusting to the new experience, and eventually coming to enjoy it. Before the feast could properly begin, Arthur stood to give another small speech. Though it was not as long as the previous one, it still made Merlin flush slightly.  
"Tonight, we celebrate the reinstatement of one of the most important roles within the Kingdom of Camelot. We celebrate the Sorcerer who has made possible the peace and prosperity in which Camelot is now flourishing. And we celebrate the man who is one of the bravest, noblest and most loyal men I have ever had the honour to call a friend. So, to a feast that will long be long remembered. The Feast of Emrys!"  
After the noise died down, Arthur turned to Merlin, a small smirk on his face.  
"Of course… Its only right that Emrys himself opens the event…"  
Merlin froze, his face half glaring and half disbelieving. He knew very little about magic for display… He thought it over for a few seconds in his head, and noticed that the room was rather dark. An idea came to him, and he hid a grin.  
"bhladhm gníomhaigh in éineacht le mo mian"  
Immediately, the flickering candles around the room grew brighter as the flames grew in size. Merlin willed the flames to obey his thoughts and the glowing mass of fire rose to the ceiling of the hall, where they began to reform. In a matter of seconds, a huge version of the crest of Camelot was burning above them.  
"Lorg van…" At this next spell, the flames dies out, but in its place was left the imprint of the dragon, still glowing brightly and brightening up the hall. Merlin knew that it would glow for several hours.  
The hall was silent for a few moments, until Taren started clapping. A huge wave of cheers spread across the hall, before everyone eventually settled down to eat, though many, Merlin noticed, regularly looked back up at the image above them.

Merlin turned to Arthur, a thought coming to the front of his mind.  
"Those were some very impressive speeches. Very eloquent. Seeing as I didn't write them, are you going to tell me who did?"  
Arthur glared at him, indignant.  
"I'll have you know I am perfectly capable of writing a speech, Thankyou." He kept up the indignant look for a few seconds, in which Merlin remained in the same position, eyebrows raised, staring at him with a doubtful expression. Eventually though, he cracked.  
"Okay…Gwen might have helped a little… And Geoffrey… I had to put up with an hour long lecture about my atrocious writing skills before he would let me go. You had better appreciate that."  
"Oh, I do… More than you know. It's so nice to know that someone cares enough about me to put up with a lecture from Geoffrey."  
"And don't you forget it… I'm definitely calling in a favour in the near future…"  
"Why am I not surprised by that, Sire?"  
"I don't know what you are trying to say, Merlin, but I…"  
"Arthur?" Gwen's voice came from is left and he turned, sheepish. "You promised no being mean tonight…"  
"But Gwen… It only a little light banter…"  
"And it will stop right now. You promised me that you would be halfway civil whilst we were eating…"  
"Yes Guinevere…"  
Merlin snorted and Arthur glared at him,  
"What are you laughing at?"  
"Oh… nothing. Everyone thinks you are always so totally in control… That's all…" he leant in, whispering low enough so that Gwen couldn't hear. "I wouldn't want to cross her either… Remember never to get her mad…"  
"Believe me," Arthur shuddered dramatically, "I know…"

Eventually, the tables were rearranged and a group of minstrels took their place up on the balcony. Merlin and Arthur shared a grin as one of them knocked a few red feathers down, remembering the time Merlin had done the same. As the group struck up a fast song, Arthur and Gwen were the first to begin dancing, shortly followed by Merlin and Taren. The sorceress was as happy for Merlin as everyone else, and wasted no time in congratulating him… and giving him a list of things that needed doing. Merlin blanched slightly as the list stacked up in his head, but he pushed it aside. He would worry about that tomorrow…

As the song finished, a slightly slower rhythm began, and Hunith took Taren's place. She smiled at the memory of her teaching him to dance, and they laughed as they remembered the terrible first few attempts. After two dances, Merlin was rather surprised when Gwen asked to take Hunith's place. He was also quite surprised when Arthur started dancing with his mother. He had never before heard of a king dancing with a peasant... Then again, Arthur was no normal king.  
He let himself fall into the familiar patterns of the dance, grinning as he realised how easy it was. Gwen smiled at him,  
"You know… with your legendary lack of coordination, I never would have considered you dancing. And the fact that you're actually very good at it? I'm not the only one that is surprised Merlin…"  
"Thanks Gwen. Nice to know that people have so much faith in me."  
"Aw. Come on Merlin. You know I didn't mean it like that…"  
"I know…" his attention drifted away, and Gwen gave him a few seconds before tugging him back to reality.  
"Merlin? What's the matter?"  
"Just thinking… There are so many people who should be here… Lancelot… Elyan…"  
Gwen had stiffened at the names, but she shook it off.  
"Yeah… But they helped make all of this happen Merlin. I'm sure they wouldn't have it any other way…"  
"I know… Gwen?" Merlin felt guilty for bringing the subject up. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have said anything…"  
"No, it's fine. It just hurts sometimes…"  
"Yeah, I know how that feels… But you know, you can always talk to me right? You're like a sister to me…"  
"Likewise Merlin, but maybe brother… I'd be worried to have you as a sister…"  
Merlin couldn't help but smile at the terrible joke, and Gwen grinned back at him. As the song ended, Arthur claimed her back, and Merlin head over to where Gwaine and the others were stood, laughing around. His mother branched off to see Gaius and Merlin immediately wished he had done the same as Gwaine gave him a wide, innocent smile, quickly replicated by the others. He sighed.  
"Okay. Whatever it is, get it over with…"

The knights all kept up the innocent smiles for a few moments longer, with Gwaine indignantly denying that they were planning anything. Then Tristan broke, followed by the others, who all fell about laughing.  
Merlin was completely bemused, until Gwaine decided to explain.  
"We are all just so… shocked. First, there is the fact that we can hardly recognise you in that getup… In a good way of course…"  
Bedivere butt in,  
"And the fact that you still don't think you can do all of this, when everyone else in Camelot knows full well you can…"  
"And…" Percival said, "We are quite surprised that Arthur gave you his old sword. Normally something like that is kept under lock and key in some kind of honourable place."  
"Yeah," Merlin said, "I know. I'm as surprised as you are… I mean, I can barely use a sword…"  
At that, Gwaine snorted.  
"That's just what we keep telling you. If you think about it, you aren't actually that bad…"  
"Right…" Merlin snorted. "If you say so…"  
Leon butted in, having just arrived.  
"So… does it have a name? I know Arthur never got around to it…"  
Merlin shrugged,  
"I don't know… I'm thinking on it, but nothing is coming to mind."  
Gwaine shrugged, picking up a mug of mead, ignoring the groans from his comrades.  
"Well, Either way mate, There is no way you can just dance about in the shadows any more…"  
Merlin shook his head, grinning.  
"Please don't tell me you were just quoting that damn song… I heard enough of it during my childhood… Heck, Gally thinks it was made just for me…"  
"Well…" Leon considered, "It does fit you far too well…"  
"Oh, not you too…"  
"Yeah! Dancing in Shadows. That does describe you Perfectly…"

Merlin grinned, and a thought came to mind as the words rearranged themselves in his head. Looking at the sword, his face fell into a contemplating look. Shrugging at the others, Tristan poked him in the shoulder, snapping him out of it.  
"Care to tell us what's going through that strange, crazy head of yours?  
"Oh… Just thinking. About a name… What about Shadowmancer… You know… like necromancer… Shadowdancer just doesn't seem masculine enough somehow…"  
Gwaine shrugged, seemingly surprised.  
"Hey… that's not too bad. But I quite like Shadowdancer…"  
Leon nodded.  
"I like it… well, both of them. It's up to you I guess, but it seems to… fit."  
Bedivere nodded, grinning.  
"I think we have discovered who writes Arthur's speeches for him…"  
"What about my speeches?" Arthur asked, reaching the group. Then he turned to Merlin, suspicious, "What have you been telling them?"  
"Absolutely nothing."  
"… Sure." Arthur let it drop, "Gwaine? You're drinking already?"  
"Yup… Its not half bad stuff by the way. But don't worry. I'm pacing myself. After having the unpleasant shock of drinking water for the greater part of the last feast," at this, he glared, good-naturedly, at Merlin, "I've decided that it is an experience I have no wish to repeat..."  
Merlin shrugged,  
"Well," he said, "In my defence, you still drank enough to give you a huge hangover, so it's all good. Any-more and you wouldn't have been able to get up the following morning."  
"Oh… what a horror that would have been…" Tristan said, dramatically, and the group laughed.

As the night wore on, Merlin discovered that it was fast becoming one of the best nights of his life. It was past two in the morning when Gaius, Alice and Hunith decided to take their leave. Deciding that it wasn't such a good idea to stick around with Gwaine in the state he was in, Merlin accompanied them. He said goodnight to his mother as they left her at her rooms, and Merlin walked, with Gaius and Alice, up to their rooms. He embraced Gaius, and as he left, he realised that it was a strange feeling not to be sleeping in his small room.  
He reached his new rooms just as a drunken Gwaine rounded the corner, supported by Taren.  
"Merlin!" she said, obviously relieved, "I wasn't sure where his quarters were, and he's too drunk to know which way is up."  
Merlin stifled grin at the exasperated look on Taren's face, and took Gwaine's weight off of her.  
"His quarters are on the other side of the castle. He can sleep here tonight."  
He said goodnight to Taren, telling her to wake him in the morning if he wasn't already up, and, ignoring Gwaine's half coherent complaints, tugged the knight up a set of stairs and dropped him onto a sofa. The man was asleep before his head hit the armrest and Merlin shook his head, half amused, half exasperated. Trust it to be Gwaine… Deciding that it was warm enough not to bother with blankets, Merlin traipsed up another set of stairs, shrugging off the cloak as he went. He managed to tug off the knee length robe, tossing it to the nearby chair, and sank onto the huge bed. He kicked off his boots, but didn't have the energy to do anything else. Letting his fatigue wash over him, he felt himself drifting off...  
It wasn't long before he was living through another nightmare, this one even worse than before.


	4. Just Another Day in Camelot...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wakes up with a nightmare, gets comforted by Gwaine-of all people- and disciover his hectic schedule has been increased... Just another normal day for Merlin....

Merlin awoke to find himself back in the training fields. Staring at the bodies of his best friends. He knew something was wrong… something felt wrong with this place, but he couldn't place it. At a startled gasp, behind him, he turned to see Gwen, eyes wide as she took in the carnage before her. Gaius was stood directly behind her, unable, like her, to understand what was happening. Gwen's gaze turned to Merlin, still coated in Gwaine's blood. The emotion in her eyes changed from shock, to disbelief, then to fear as it dawned on her.  
"Merlin… You did… you did this…?"  
"Gwen…" Merlin wanted to speak. To try and explain. But something seemed to be clawing it's way out of him. The pain was terrible, but he tried to speak. The words that came out of his mouth, however, were not his own.  
"So much power… In the hands of someone who will not use it…"  
"Merlin…?" Confusion marred with the fear and shock in her voice, and she gasped as Merlins eyes turned red again.  
"No… he was weak… too weak to control this… to control this vortex of energy coursing through his veins. Such power should not be wasted… I wonder… He offered quite the challenge when I used him to kill his friends… How much of a challenge will he put up when I kill you…?"  
Gwen didn't have long enough to register his words before Merlin's arm rose, blasting her back with magic. Her body convulsed, then lay still.  
Gaius had frozen, realising what had happened.  
"Merlin! You can control this! You can…" he didn't get a chance to finish as he was blasted back. His limp form hit the floor and lay, unmoving.  
Merlin tried to fight the being that had invaded him, but he wasn't strong enough. He knew he wasn't strong enough. It was at that moment that Arthur rounded the corner. The king didn't seem able to comprehend what he was seeing, and so was too slow to realise the danger.  
Merlin was screaming, silently, inside his head. The build-up of power inside him was too strong. He couldn't fight it. He felt his arm rise and felt his mouth forming the word of a spell. The screaming in his head peaked, and, suddenly, he was staring at Gwaine's concerned face.  
______

"Gwaine! You're… But I… Where…"  
"Merlin! Calm down!" Gwaine ducked as a small glass baker flew past his head, shattering itself on the wall. Objects were flying everywhere, and Merlin finally realised that it had all just been a nightmare.  
Gradually, he managed to calm himself, and the object eventually fell to the floor. Gwaine seemed more than a little relieved as he helped Merlin over to the table.  
"By the god's Merlin, what was that?"  
"I…" Merlin realised that he couldn't get his thoughts straight, and he let out a cry of frustration, causing several objects to rattle where they had fallen.  
"Merlin! It's okay… It's fine. Take a deep breath… At least, I think that's what you are mean to do in these kinds of situations…"  
Eventually, with Gwaine muttering a load of nonsense, Merlin managed to regulate his breathing and slow his racing heart. After another few minutes, Gwaine sat back, realising that Merlin was in control of himself.  
He gave the man a few minutes to calm himself fully before asking again.  
"Merlin? What the hell was that? I wake up to objects whizzing everywhere, and you in some kind of… well, whatever the hell that was…"  
"I… It's nothing…"  
"Didn't look like nothing…"  
"It doesn't matter."

Merlin wasn't too keen on the idea of relating to Gwaine how he had killed him, but he could see from the expression on his friends face that he wasn't going to let up on him. Without him quite realising how, the whole story, about the nightmares and his fear of his new abilities, came tumbling out. Gwaine was silent through all of it, and for some minutes after. Eventually, however, the knight spoke, keeping is words cautious.  
"Merlin… You do realise that you are one of the most powerful people ever? Right? And that you have been star role in god knows how many prophesies and legend and what-not… As well as that, you are one of the greatest guys I know… Nope, the greatest guy."  
"Yeah… Yeah… and jeez, thanks… But what does that have to do with…"  
"Everything! Christ, you have faced down Sorcerers, armies, some of the most dangerous creatures that this land has to offer… Why on Earth do you think you can't control this?"  
Merlin was silent for a few moments, before he tried to explain.  
"Sometimes… before this happened, I had moments where it was hard to keep my magic under control… prevent it from lashing out. The magic I have now… The power… It's never been heard of before… Never."  
"Neither had a person born with magic. Yet that worked out fine…?"  
"Yeah… But this… I don't think I'm strong enough. What if I lose control?"  
"Simple. You won't." At the doubtful look on the young man's face, Gwaine carried on. "Honestly Merlin. You're a great guy… Heck, you got me, a drunken moron, into the position of a knight of Camelot, if that isn't genius, I don't know what is. You've defeated countless enemies and beasts… You argue with Dragons… You're the smartest guy I know, the bravest guy I know… But sometimes? You can be a complete idiot."  
"How'd you figure that?"  
"Because you have so little faith in yourself. Take a look back over everything you've done and give yourself some credit. Or, so help me, I'll go fetch Gaius, Arthur and pretty much everyone who knows you and get them to lecture you on everything you've done until you understand just how… how… Ridiculously, impossibly unbelievable you are. And that's no idle threat mate…"

Merlin looked taken aback by Gwaine's ranting, but knew that he wasn't joking.  
"It wasn't that… Impressive Gwaine…"  
"Damn it Merlin. Think about it like this. I know of no-one who could have come even faintly close to doing any of the things you did. From our point of view, meaning non-magic users and most of your 'brethren', -as Geoffrey likes to call them-, alike, what you have done over the last few years is impossible. Yet you did it."  
Gwaine looked at his friend, disbelief marking the Knights expression.  
"You honestly don't get it do you?"  
Merlin looked completely clueless and Gwaine snorted. He went to head down the stairs, hoping for a few more hours sleep on the, surprisingly comfortable, sofa, but turned back.  
"Merlin? Do me a favour. Look back over everything you've done since you came to Camelot, get some perspective, give yourself some credit and then go get drunk."  
"Why drunk?"  
"Because I want to see what a drunk sorcerer looks like…"  
Before Merlin could comment on that, Gwaine was gone and he was left with a confused expression and a fear of sleeping. He decided to see just what Gwaine was trying to tell him, and relaxed back into a state of in-between, remembering back to the time he entered Camelot. As he spent the next couple of hours thinking through all of his encounters and battles, with Gwaine's words in mind, he realise that what he had done would seem impossible to some people. And maybe he did need to give himself more credit than he did. But it didn't solve his dilemma. Subconsciously, he was still worried that… Subconsciously!

Merlin jumped to his feet and raced to the library that had been shoved into his new quarters. Not bothering to look for the book, he let his mind wander and the book flew towards him. He flipped through the pages, stopping at a passage e had read some time ago.  
'Many believe that dreams are simply the reflections of your subconscious thoughts and fears. Sufficient fear can be enough for your subconscious mind to project the thought into a nightmare. If this truly is the case, then a nightmare can continue for as long as it takes for the subconscious fears to ease.  
It has long since been understood, if certain individuals are to be believed, that if a person can overcome their fear whilst in the state of dreaming, then they will have calmed the thoughts echoing in their subconscious. This would enable them to understand their fear during both whilst sleeping and being in a state of consciousness, and would strengthen their ability to cope with what had been echoing within their thoughts.'  
Merlin sat back in the chair, thinking that through. If the passage, in the book, was correct, then his fears were simply subconscious. If he could defeat them whilst he was asleep…

He didn't have time to further think upon that thought as a knock sounded on the door and Taren let herself in.  
"Merlin? I'm sorry if I woke you but… Oh, Sir Gwaine. Good morning. I didn't think you would still be here…"  
Merlin came down the stairs just as Taren was informing Gwaine that it was three hours after sun-up. She looked up and smiled widely at him.  
"Merlin! I'm sorry If I woke you, but you told me to fetch you in the morning and.."  
"No, you didn't wake me. I was… doing some reading."  
Gwaine let out a deep groan,  
"Reading? This early? What is wrong with you people?"  
None-the-less, he got to his feet and stifled a yawn.  
"I'm gonna head down to my quarters and change… And maybe visit Gaius… My head seems to have been danced on by a wildern…"  
Merlin smiled as he left then turned to Taren.  
"I'll just get changed. I believe we have to prepare for the druids arrival today? They said they would be arriving either tomorrow or the day after…"  
"I'm still amazed you managed to change the minds of the elders. But it's for the best. They will be safer here from any further attacks."  
"Exactly. Was there anything else…?"  
"Yes… The King would like to see you as soon as you have, in his words, become coherent enough to string more than a couple of insults together."  
Merlin laughed.  
"Okay… I'll go see Arthur, then meet you in the lower town? We still have to inform the others of the basic ideas for the catacombs. And I need to talk to the lookouts on the Northern borders, about the recent Saxon sightings. It's better to get the reports before we wait for the patrols to return. If you could get me a space free in a few hours?"  
"Of course. But you need to speak to Esmith, remember. To discuss his admittance into the regular patrols…?"  
"Yes… I'll bring that up with Arthur."  
Merlin suddenly burst out laughing. Both at himself and the position he was now in.  
"You know? I never thought I would have a list like that. I've always hated responsibility…"  
Taren grinned.  
"Well, you are dealing with it just fine. I will see you… at Gally's? He's there till noon."  
"You got it. Try and get Gally hyped up before he talks with the druids? You know what he's like…"  
"Yes sir. Whatever you say sir."  
Before Merlin could respond, she had left and he was left grinning to himself like an idiot.

He made his way back up the stairs, to his own rooms, and over to the wardrobe. Pulling open the doors, he felt a deep gratitude to Gwen. The clothes there were all brand new, but similar to what he would normally wear. The only difference was that his usual jacket had been replaced with a brand new, leather version. He mourned his old jacket for a few moments, before he realised that he couldn't really were it, considering it was more tatty than ever before.  
He dressed in a red tunic, brown leggings, and a sleeveless red robe, similar to the tunic but much browner in shade and much warmer. He put on the thick brown belt, from the night before, around his waist, before shrugging on the new jacket. His earlier worries flew out of the window as he realised it was one of the most comfortable and most fitted items of clothing he had ever worn.  
What was more, there was a black version as well… Not that Merlin was much for the colour, but still… He appreciated the gesture and the not so subtle hint to wear something other than blue and brown. A fact that Gwen always liked to point out.  
After a few moments hesitation, he belted on Arthurs… no, his sword. The belt swung lower on his left side, due to the swords weight, but Merlin found that, like the night before, it was not at all irritating. He pulled his boots on and head down the staircase.

When he got to the bottom, he stopped, standing in the doorway, and let himself take in the whole room. Well, all of the rooms.  
His chambers were on the second floor of the three floored… well, tower for want of a better word. The floor he was on was the lowest floor and had three rooms. The one he was in, which was more like a living room than anything else. One of the other rooms, through a doorway at the other side of the room, was more of a planning room or study. A huge desk was in the middle, with eight chairs surrounding it and dozens books were placed, on shelves, around the edge.  
The other room on that floor was next to the second, but was much more interesting, for Merlin anyway. The room was the same size as both of the others put together, and was full of shelves and small tables where books were stacked. It was his own, personal, library, and Merlin loved it. Apparently, Uther had burned a lot of magical texts, but had kept an awful lot locked up in the vaults. Arthur had decided that Merlin may as well have them.  
Then there was the second floor. As well as his room, which was pretty much the same size as Arthurs, there were two other doors that opened up from the small annexe on the spiralling staircase. One led to a room that was currently not being used for anything, and the other was to a small chamber where a load of medical supplies had been placed. The room was smaller than Merlins, even though he had wanted to switch them, and held two beds, along with racks of herbs and other medicinal products. It was I place for any occasion that might arise where Gaius was completely swamped.  
Then there was the top floor. But unlike the other floors, which each had three rooms; this floor was one huge room. It was filled with all kinds of things that Merlin had no idea how to use, mainly gifts and other things from the sorcerers in the kingdom and from the druids. Medallions, staffs and enchanted objects. An entire corner was devoted to the study of runes, which Merlin had never had any time for. A small room, barely large enough for more than one or two people, was filed with mirrors that reflected light throughout the small chamber. It opened onto a small balcony, but also hid an entrance to one of the many passages that laced the castle.  
Merlin sat, thinking about all of these things, about the soft red drapes that adorned his rooms, of the images that the reflected sunlight created on the top floor, of the hangings depicting scenes of magica duels and battles past that lined the top floor and the wide staircase. Of the plush rugs, feather down furniture, old texts that referred to every aspect of Magic.

He sat that way for almost twenty minutes, before he realised that he really should head down to Arthur and see what he wanted. None-the-less, he glanced back as he exited the rooms, knowing that it would take a while for him to get used to the concept of owning so much… stuff.  
He grinned at the thought, as he head down the staircase and into one of the north wing corridors. He was still grinning as he knocked on the door to Arthur's chambers. Not hearing a reply, he let himself in and was greeted by the sight of Flint, attempting to sort through piles of precariously sacked paperwork. The young man, barely older than nineteen, spun around at the noise, sending piles of papers cascading to the floor. Merlin flinched at the mess, and Flint all but cursed out loud.  
"Oh. Damn… I spent the last half an hour sorting those… And I still have no idea how I'm meant to sort them."  
Merlin felt guilty, and spoke up.  
"Hey Flint… Sorry… That was my fault. I'll sort those…"  
"Oh… No, I didn't mean… and you shouldn't…"  
"I've been sorting things like this for years… Trust me, I'm perfectly capable of it. I'm sure you have other work to do?"  
"I… well, yes but… I just meant that…"  
"I know what you meant. Flint? I don't want you to treat me any differently than before. I mean it. I've known you for three years now…"  
"… Okay. In that case, you are such an ass…"  
Of course, Arthur chose that moment to enter. Instead of admonishing the young man, however, he simply grinned.  
"See Merlin? I told you he would be perfect."  
Flint looked confused, so Merlin stepped in, picking up several of the farther scattered pieces of paper.  
"I didn't want him to hire a bootlicker. He needs someone to keep him in his place. For future reference, the insults I most commonly use are prat, clot-pole, dollop-head and, your favourite, ass. Just tell him things as you see them. Especially with insuts. And if you like the ideas he keeps spouting? Insult them anyway."

Merlin planted the pile of parchment he had just picked up onto the desk and turned to Arthur, ignoring the glare.  
"Taren said you wanted to see me?"  
"Yes. As a matter of fact, it's not all that important but… Look, we both know I'm useless at sorting paperwork and writing speeches and all that stuff. You, on the other hand, have an uncanny knack for it. I know Taren will be keeping you busy with everything, but I will most likely be sending Flint up every night with a huge pile of paperwork. I just wanted to warn you."  
Merlin shook his head, not believing what he was hearing. He still hadn't escaped the paperwork?  
"You have got to be joking…?"  
"No…"  
"But that's just… Just…" Merlin found himself grinning, and Arthur was confused as to the reason.  
"What on Earth could you possibly find humorous about the situation?"  
"The fact that you are actually useless."  
Before Arthur could protest, however, Merlin spoke again.  
"Okay, I'll go through your paperwork… But there is no way I'm going to have it cluttering up my space. I'll just come by sometime during the day and do it… Actually, make that evenings. I'm sure Taren is out to fill every second of my day with what looks like meaningless drabble."  
Flint snorted at this, and Merlin shot him a half amused, half irritated glare.  
"I can see why Arthur hired you. You can laugh at me when it would be undignified for him to do so."  
He glanced at the parchments, now piled precariously in the edge of the desk and made up his mind.  
"I have a lot to get done today… Flint? Leave those out and I'll do them when I get the chance."

Arthur looked slightly surprised at the responsible tone in Merlin's voice and followed him out of the room.  
"Wow. Somebody has gotten responsible lately…"  
"Well… Someone has to keep the place running…" Merlin grinned, then shrugged. "At least it's not stable duty…"  
It was then that Gwen joined them, having heard his last comment.  
"Ah, come on. I know for a fact that you had them cleared out in a couple of minutes flat using magic…"  
Merlin grinned,  
"Yeah… Still hated the smell though. Even worse than Arthurs dirty socks… I pity Flint. Oh, thanks for the new wardrobe by the way. Literally."  
Gwen grinned,  
"Well… It was the least I could do. I knew the thought would never cross Arthur's mind so… How do you like the jacket?"  
"Perfect… Of course. I mean it though, thanks. "  
Arthur had made several indignant noises through their short conversation, and he decided to butt in before Merlin could start thanking him for everything again, and before they could find other ways to insult him.  
"Merlin? Didn't you say Taren needed you?"  
Merlin took the hint,  
"Of course Sire. I wouldn't want to intrude on your, obviously extremely busy, schedule."  
Before Arthur could swat him around the head, Merlin had vanished, quite literally. Arthur sighed.  
"I hate it when he does that…"  
_____

Merlin appeared just outside Gally's door. One of the places he had left himself a trace for. He didn't have to leave traces, but they helped him focus in on a place… Or a person for that matter. He knocked on the door and received a "Come in".  
Pushing the door open, he was surprised to see Erec there, with Gally and Taren.  
"Erec? Didn't expect you to be here."  
"Merlin! I'm just checking in about Esmith. Have you finalised with Arthur?"  
"I was going to talk with him later, but I doubt there would be any problem."  
"In that case, I'll head over to the training fields. Oh, Bedivere asked me to ask you whether you wanted to spar? Get used to the sword?"  
"Tell him thanks. I'll see if I can get some time free. Oh, and if you see Gwaine, could you tell him that I owe him a favour?"  
"Sure… I'll see you guys."  
Erec left and Merlin turned to Taren.  
"So… Plans?"

Over the next few hours, Merlin spent a lot of time with the druid representatives, getting their opinions of the best way to make the catacombs habitable. The seemed to have no problems with the idea. They were close to the surface, had exits into the woods, were spacious and were easy to warm with a simple heating spell, which Merlin had already sorted. He had also sorted the problems about lighting, taking inspiration from the reflecting room in his quarters and rigging a series of mirrors and bright lamps which it up the entire space. Food and water wouldn't be a problem, as there were springs located beneath the lower town of Cmelot, where the catacombs were found. Merlin and a few others had located several of them, creating easier access to the clear pools of water. Seeing as there were only about two hundred of the druids, there was plenty of space, and they always fended for themselves anyway.  
Reassured by the druids words, Merlin bid them farewell and took five minutes breathing space. After that, he contacted the sorcerers that were supporting the patrols on the northern borders It wasn't good. Saxon activity had increased greatly in the area, and small bands of them were voyaging further past the borders than ever before. Resolving to tell Arthur about it, Merlin was just about to head off for something to eat when a young woman accosted him.  
"Merlin… There has been a rash of illness over the last couple of days. None of us thought anything of it, but it's been spreading and many of those that have fallen ill have the same symptoms."

Realising that there was no way he would have time to eat, and thankful that she had called him by his name, not his titles, Merlin gestured for the woman to lead the way.  
"What are the symptoms?"  
"It starts with a headache, then a fever starts. People start to shiver uncontrollably for short periods of time, then they feel extremely tired. We would have reported it before, but the later symptoms only showed up recently. Andthey evolve quickly."  
Merlin nodded, taking the information in, and followed the woman to a small house. Ducking inside, he found three people, all looking deathly pale.  
"We have tried to keep them in the same place. Grouped them together. There are more in the next few houses."  
"How many in total?"  
"Thirty-seven… But a lot of people are starting to get headaches…"  
Merlin let out a low whistle, through his teeth, then got to work.  
After checking temperature, heart rate and all of the other usual things, he told them all to sleep, telling the woman, Tella, to spread the word. Merlin knew that the symptoms could be signs of many different things, and realised that Gaius would have a better time of identifying just what was wrong. Even better, Alice was a whiz at dealing with things like this.  
_____

And so the morning passed into afternoon. After healing a few injuries around the lower town, mainly deep cuts, but one case with deep lacerations and some fractured ribs where the young man fallen from a roof, Merlin realised that he would have to hurry. He was due to scry the druid encampment, seeing as they were heading for Camelot, they had decided that Merlin would have to hear about their progress. He arrived just as the small bowl of water burst into colour.  
He spoke with Aglain for almost ten minutes, before the old Druid had finished updating him, and then let his head rest on his arms for a moment. He had been so busy over the last few weeks, when he had been in Camelot anyway, with everyday being just as busy and taxing, if not more so, than today had been. He refused to let himself drift off, and got to his feet. As he exited the house, he realised that it was evening. He also realised that he hadn't eaten all day, and decided to head to the kitchens. It had long since been a tradition that when he had not eaten all day, he would head down and see what Rosa could whip up for him. It was a tradition he had no intention of dropping, seeing as he had little enough time to eat as it was.

At least that had been his plan. It was cut short as he entered Arthur's personal state room, intending to get his report over and done with before eating. The room was full of members of the council and they all looked strangely relieved as he entered. Arthur motioned for him to take a seat, and Merlin hid how strange it felt to be sitting with the council, not standing, instead focusing on the fact that he was unlikely to be eating or sleeping anytime soon. He took the empty seat, to Arthur's right, and noticed that the king looked as tired as he did. Each man's fatigue was noticed by the other, but they didn't acknowledge it. Arthur spoke up, letting him know what they had been talking about.  
"We just received a report from the Western border. It seems that the Saxon presence at the North was simply a diversion. A group have massed in the West, but they have vanished into the woods. We have no idea of their plans, their location or their numbers."  
Merlin sat back, stifling a sigh. This was going to be one of those nights.  
After reassuring the council that he would send some of the sorcerers to check things out, and telling them of the latest forays from the North, he had been content to listen to their arguments. It had gone on for almost an hour, at which point, Arthur had got to his feet and dismissed them, informing them that they would reconvene at eleven the following morning.  
They had all filed out, aside from Merlin, who remained seated, and Arthur had only let his frustration show when the door closed behind them. Both men were silent for a few moments, until Arthur seemed to shake himself.  
"So… Anything else to report?"  
"The druids should arrive tomorrow evening. An illness is spreading through the lower town, but I'm going to ask Gaius to check it out. Hopefully nothing very serious, but Gaius should be able to tell for sure. Several injuries, but nothing out of the ordinary. All in all, nothing completely major happening."

Merlin was silent for a few moments, then sighed,  
"I never thought that anyone would bother with the Western border. What with the forests and the mountains."  
"I know. It seems ridiculous. Which is why no-one anticipated it."  
"There is a small group of sorcerers out towards the Western mountains. I can check whether they have seen anything?"  
"Yeah, that might be a good idea. The most important thing is to find out what they are doing."  
"How about sending out a small party?"  
"Too dangerous. Even if you did send sorcerers."  
"Good point." Merlin's knack for timely wisdom was failing him, and he stifled a yawn. The amount of magic he had used today had tired him, mainly because he had been binding most of it. Keeping himself in control of the small bursts he had used. Binding it took a lot of energy.  
"Oh, Arthur? About Esmith?"  
Arthur thought for a moment before he remembered.  
"The sorcerer who wants to join the guards?"  
"Yeah. Training's completed, he seems to get on well with the other men. We just need a finalisation from you."  
"Of course. Inform Erec that he can begin tomorrow."

Arthur rested his head on his arms,  
"Just going to be another of those weeks, huh?"  
"Tell me when it isn't one of those weeks…" Merlin said, by way of agreement. He was tempted to copy Arthur, but instead got to his feet.  
"I'm going to inform Gaius of the illness. I guess I had better dispatch someone to check out the Western Border, maybe some of the knights?"  
"Thats fine. Perciaval, Gwaine and Owain avn't been on any patrols for some time. I think they want the chance to leave for a few days."  
Merlin nodded, then continued.  
"I'l check it in with them. A I guess I'd beter send a message to the encampment in the mountains as soon as I can..." Arthur stifed a yawn of his own and Merlin frowned "You should get some sleep. You can be very... p.t.a when you're tired."  
"P.t.a?"  
"Person to avoid. Seriosuly, you should get some sleep."  
Arthur snorted, pushing himself to his feet "So should you. But you, like me, are too stubborn. I'm going to go over the reports from the Eastern Patrol. I'd appreciate you being at the meeting tomorrow?"  
"Of course. Taren can take over developments for a few hours. We're pretty much done anyway."

Neither mentioned how strange it was to have Merlin speaking with such authority and responsibility, or how it seemed to come naturally to him.  
Arthur head to his quarters as Merlin head up to Gaius. Gaius and Alice decided to accompany him to the town, to see what they were dealing with. Both could see how tired Merlin was, but didn't say anything, knowing there would be no point. It didn't stop Gaius from worrying.  
Merlin's body needed to adjust to the changes. The lack of sleep wouldn't help with that.  
They split up at the gates to the lower town. Merlin head to Gally's, apologising him for waking him, and got together a few people willing to leave for the Eastern border. He also got Gwaine, Percival and Owain to ride with them, and they were going to set out at first light. Two days ride, a day or two scouting out the general area of where the Saxons had been sighted, and two days back. Merlin arranged for them to check in with him, every evening, and then left them to sort out supplies.  
It was strange how much people had started listening to him. Obeying his orders, even if he gave them as requests. It was something else, Merlin knew, that would take a while to get used to.  
He then made his way to Taren's, glad he wasn't waking her, and prepared to send a message to the alcove in the mountains. But, as he sat at the table, his limbs suddenly felt heavier. He was far too tired. Before he knew it, he was dozing off, unable to fight his fatigue.


	5. Training and All that Stuff...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reports, training sessions and a trip to the Tavern. Oh, and the arrival of an old friend...  
> What's not to love...?

Taren yawned. Merlin had come traipsing in a couple of hours ago, looking completely out of sorts. She had seen how tired he was, but had realised that he was far too stubborn to listen to her. Hence her leaving him to do whatever he had to do. Now she was back, and he would damn well listen to her.  
That plan went out of the window as she entered the room and saw Merlin, slumped across the table, hair dishevelled, clothes looking worse for wear, and completely dead to the world. The stern expression eased from her face, and a gentle, concerned expression took its place. He may be the most powerful sorcerer that would ever walk the face of the earth, but he obviously needed someone to keep an eye out for him. She felt strangely protective as she made her way over and gently shook him awake. As he blinked his eyes open, vision bleary, he stifled a yawn and gave her clumsy, lop-sided grin. The grin faltered as he remembered where he was.  
"Damn it…" he muttered getting to his feet, nearly falling over the table leg. "Sorry Taren… I was… I was supposed to be contacting the Sorcerer encampment on the Western Border… There have been more Saxon sightings and…" He yawned again, effectively cutting off his words and allowing Taren to get in some of her own.  
"Merlin! You are not going to be able to have a lucid conversation with anybody, considering how tired you are. Its nigh on Midnight, and you need to get some sleep." She continued, raising her voice to cover his as he tried to protest. "Plus they are all most likely tired as you are. Merlin…" her voice went into a gentler tone. "You need sleep. You have had hardly any recently… And after everything you've been through, you need it more than ever. Please, just get some sleep?"

At the worry in her voice, Merlin felt guilty. He didn't mean to get Taren worried so much… It just seemed to be in her nature to worry about him. He also realised that she had a good point. The sorcerers he wanted to talk to were most likely be rather annoyed at him for contacting them at this hour… He grudgingly nodded to Taren.  
"Fine. I'll head back and…"  
"You will do no such thing. I'm going to make sure you get some sleep so you're staying here."  
"But… I…"  
"No buts. I have a spare bed in the other room."  
"But I have to be at a meeting with Arthur at eleven in the morning and…"  
"So I will wake you at Ten. Plenty of time to eat and change. Please Merlin? Just get some sleep."  
"… Okay." Merlin realised that he was too tired to argue and followed her instructions. He managed to kick his boots off and unbuckle the belt from his waist, but that was as far as he got before his head hit the pillow and he was dragged into a, mercifully dreamless, sleep.  
_

Kilgarrah was worried. He had not felt this emotion is such a vast quantity for quite some time and that was a worry in itself. Part of his worry was centred around his lord. The young Warlock had yet to see who he truly was, and the Great Dragon knew that he would have to figure that out on his own. And with the help of the young king. The friendship that had been prophesied was already surpassing that of any man that Kilgarrah had yet to meet, but that path was not yet at its end. Only when they truly understood each other could they truly forge the bond that had been destined. So yes, his Lord was a source of worry to him.  
The more pressing cause of concern was the fact that he was currently watching a rather large group, of what the humans called, Saxons who were heading in the general direction of the nearest Camelotian patrol. With their current speed and general direction, combined with Kilgarrah's knowledge of the ways of fate and destiny and the games it twisted for the lives of mortals, made him sure that he two opposing forces would collide. The Camelotian warriors were strong. But they would not have the strength to defeat the numbers that were heading in their direction. Neither would he be able to fly into Camelot. Indeed, the very idea was, frankly, absurd. After what had occurred the last time he had flown in Camelot's skies… Well. That did not do to dwell on. Ad there was only one other who could. Even with Aithusa flying at her best speed, she would not arrive until the early hours of the morning. And, after the time it would take to fly to Camelot, the inevitable confrontation of the two opposing forces would be virtually upon them. It would give those in Camelot a limited time to react, and the fight would already have begun by the time reinforcements arrived. But it was the best idea that the Dragon had, so it would have to be the path they followed. Kilgarrah opened his mind to his young cousin, sending her a short message.  
"Aithusa… You are needed young one. Make great haste towards Camelot…"  
After receiving a reply, he settled down to watch the progress of the Saxons, sedately matching their pace towards Camelot, and keeping out of sight above the high-rise of the clouds. He may indeed have sent a message to his Lord, but the young Warlock had been under enough of a strain. And the binding on his magic, which in his opinion was an ill-conceived idea, would be greatly torn by such contact, over such a distance. He must simply wait and follow the path that fate had decided upon. A path which would be sure to test his young Lord again.  
_

Merlin felt himself shook awake, and opened blurry eyes to see Taren, grinning and holding a bowl of porridge out to him.  
Yawning, he accepted the bowl and suddenly felt a pang of hunger as he inhaled the scent. Gratefully accepting a spoon, he ate a few mouthfuls before his slow mind caught up to what was going on.  
"Drochrath air…" he cursed, "What time is it?"  
"Nearly half past ten…"  
"Half… Taren! I have a meeting in half an hour! I still need to change and…"  
"Merlin, calm down. I fetched some clothes for you… I hope you don't mind. You needed the sleep…"  
"I… No. I don't mind. Thankyou Taz, you're a lifesaver. Really…"  
Merlin only then realised that I was the first time he had used the nickname, but Taren grinned.  
"No problem. Now eat. You can scry the iarthair deartháireacha later."  
"Okay. Oh, and can you get a message to Erec? Arthur has finalised Esmith's acceptance into the guards…"  
"Of course. Now eat…"  
She refused to leave until he had eaten it all, then washed the bowls as he got changed. A dark blue tunic, brown leggings and brown boots. Then his belt. His brown jacket went over the top, followed by, of course, a bright red neckerchief. After he had belted on the sword, he stifled another yawn as he entered the kitchen and gave Taren his most innocent smile.  
"See? I'm perfectly good to go…"  
She shook her head, exasperate and nodded, tweaking his neckerchief where it had caught the back of his jacket, and only reluctantly let him go.  
"Oh… And Merlin? If I hear you have gone an entire day without eating again, I'll drag you down to ee Rosa…"  
It wasn't an empty threat and Merlin shuddered, dramatically.  
"Of course ma'am."  
He had vanished before she could say another word and she smiled, half amused, half-exasperated. Merlin really was… So… Merlin.  
\-----

Merlin appeared right outside the meeting chamber just as the first of the advisors were arriving.  
Despite their sharp gasps at his sudden appearance, Merlin walked past them, sitting himself on the window seat. He opened the window, marginally, behind him and felt himself waken fully at the light breeze that wafted past him, smelling of fresh bread and spices. It must be Wednesday. Market Day.  
Arthur arrived several minutes later, just after the last of the Lords, and he looked surprised to see that Merlin was already there. He didn't comment however, and simply grinned, raising an eyebrow. Merlin shrugged and smiled. The smile fell as he noticed the dark Shadows underneath the Kings eyes. He must have barely slept last night…  
It was only a few moments more before they were all seated, and Merlin found himself facing an empty seat, again on Arthur's right hand, and he seated himself with something akin to confusion, but mainly acceptance. The Lords obviously considered him as Arthur's right hand man. The fact that they were so gracious about also came as a bit of a surprise, as some still shared Uther's views on magic, though they were warming to the idea of it. Merlin broke from his musings as Arthur spoke up.  
"So. Now that we have all had time to sleep on the problem facing us, does anybody have any ideas?"  
The room was silent for a few moments until one of the Lords, Lord Valemir, who Merlin rather liked, spoke up.  
"Sire, with what you have told us of the Saxon approach, I would recommend making the patrols larger. Maybe as many as thirty men? Not all knights of course, but guards and possibly one or two sorcerers. It would make the treks safer, and would not be too much of an increase where time is concerned…"  
Arthur nodded. "I had been thinking along the same lines, Valemir, and it is definitely a solution to the immediate crisis. The problem is that, if they do run into any trouble, it may take time to raise the alarm. Time we may not have. Unless we can find a way around that…?"

The room was silent for a few moments more and Merlin had an idea.  
"We could set up a mind link?" At the confused look on some of the Lords faces, Merlin explained further. "If there was a sorcerer in each group, we could set up a constant link between their minds. Not so much as to become a hindrance, but enough for them to be able to send an alert as soon as they run into any trouble. We would know within seconds of any attack, and would be able to act accordingly."  
At that, many of the men at the table started nodding, thinking the idea through. Arthur nodded, then spoke again.  
"That would be an effective way of dealing with it. And I assume we could use the same method to receive regular updates? Perhaps nightly, seeing as each patrol normally stays en route for nigh on a week."  
Merlin nodded,  
"That shouldn't be a problem. It isn't a difficult thing to do. And with a pre-prepared connection, it would be made much easier. We would have to send at least one other as a partner, or replacement in some cases, as it may be that some might take some time to recover after each message, but I could easily find people willing to do it."  
Most of the Lords were nodding, but two or three, the ones that Merlin had been expecting to complain, seemed unconvinced. One of them, Lord Aster, spoke up.  
"That is assuming that we can trust the ones that you send. It is already clear that this Brotherhood have men inside Camelot." His eyes flickered to Merlin at that, and Arthur bristled at the unvoiced accusation. Merlin, however, grinned pleasantly.  
"Aye milord, but it is clear that they are not all sorcerers. After all, it would be far easier to slip someone with no magical talent into position, would it not? Seeing as you have such a keen eye for sensing suspicious behaviour? Though, of course, someone of your intelligence will already have thought of that, and I sincerely apologize if I have implied that you were merely being prejudiced. After all, you are, indeed, a man of broad mind and intellect…"  
Arthur barely stifled a laugh at the expression on the Lords face, and many of the other men were having trouble keeping their own expressions devoid of humour. Aster had conflicting emotions flitting across his face. The sincere tone in the Warlock's voice was clearly intended to be sarcasm, but he could not openly insult him in such a manner. In the end he simply settled back into his seat, face a pale shade of red, and nodded to Merlin.  
"As you say, Lord Emrys." The sarcasm behind the last two words had Arthur nigh on glaring at him, but Merlin simply grinned.  
"Such a compliment from one such as yourself is, indeed, an honour milord. Now, perhaps we may return to the matter at hand?"  
Aster's jaw twitched, but he nodded.  
"Of course. I trust that you will pick your people most carefully?"  
The meaning of his words did not escape Merlin, but the young man kept his pleasant expression in place.  
"Of course."  
After that, the meeting adjourned quickly. They all hastily agreed to Merlins proposal and the group disbanded, all too aware of the tension that had been spiking through the room and were eager to be out of it.

Soon, it was only Merlin and Arthur left, Aster having left moments before, shooting daggers at Merlin with his eyes.  
"Go hIfreann leat cac ar oineach…" he muttered, and Arthur looked confused at the lack of gold.  
"Was that magic?"  
"No. I insulted him in the old tongue. It does have more than one use Arthur."  
"… Okay. So what did you say?"  
"To hell with you, scumbag. Or rather, To hell with you, shit on honour. Not very eloquent I know, but he irritates me…"  
Arthur burst out laughing, and stretched back in his seat.  
"I would have hit him… I honestly don't know how you put up with it Merlin."  
"Actually, I find it rather amusing."  
"You would… Idiot."  
"Prat… Anyway, I thought you would have had the common sense to, at least, get more than a couple of hours sleep last night…?"  
"I slept… Gwen made me."  
"Yup. Taren was pretty much the same."  
Arthur grinned, sinking lower into his chair, his thumb and forefinger pinching the bridge of his nose.  
"Women… Can't live with em, can't live without em."  
"Far too true…" Merlin felt his heart twinge as he thought of Freya, but he pushed the threatening sadness away, preparing to get to his feet. As he did so, Arthur motioned to the sword.  
"So… Named it yet?"  
Merlin had been subconsciously drifting towards a name for the last couple of days, but was still surprised when he had no hesitation in replying.  
"Shadowmancer… Bit of a joke with the guys about me having always been in the shadows and all that…"  
Arthur thought it over, before nodding in approval.  
"Unusual name for an unusual man. I like it."  
They both grinned at that, and Merlin got to his feet .  
"I still have to talk to the Western Covenant. I'm gonna head off and do that. Then check on that disease with Gaius. Then to the training fields, because I'm afraid the guys are getting lax in their training with magic. After that, I intend to go to the Tavern for an hour and be thankful that Gwaine isn't right there alongside me. You want to join me? I still haven't won all of your money at dice…"  
Arthur looked sorely tempted, but shook his head.  
" I have reports to write up. And the accountants wish to speak with me, again, about the repercussions of allowing the druids to stay here."  
"What? The fact that they will be adding to Camelot's coffers? Honestly."  
"Well why don't you try to explain that to them?"  
Merlin grinned at that, and Arthur immediately regretted the words. Sure enough,  
"Fine. Reconvene till tomorrow, and I'll join you. I'll have them so tongue tied, and crossing their own words so much, that they won't have any idea what they think."  
"Merlin…" Arthur warned, secretly liking the idea of some of Camelot's finest word wranglers being beaten by Merlin's sound, yet ridiculous, logic.  
Merlin gave him his lop-sided, innocent grin.  
"What? Don't tell me you don't think it's a good idea? And you need some time on the training fields. You haven't since we got back from…"

Merlins expression went dark as he recalled the events of the previous week, but he shook it away, brightening up again.  
"Aw… Come on Arthur… Pleeeaaase?"  
Arthur sighed, and nodded.  
"Fine. I'll get Flint to postpone the meeting till tomorrow. And I'll join you at the Training grounds in… Oh, about an hour?"  
"Sounds good. And I'll get those papers sorted for you tonight."  
"Great. You know you are a really bad influence… Right?"  
Merlin grinned,  
"Me? Arthur, I am insulted. I'll have you know that I am a terrible influence. Anything less, and I'm not trying hard enough."  
Before Arthur could smack him across the back of the head, he had vanished, leaving an echo of his laughter.  
"Not fair!" The king shouted to the empty air, then grinned. Merlin was right. He did have to make time to train and see people. What he wouldn't admit to Merlin, was that the real reason he had said yes on this occasion was the look in his eyes as the young man had recalled what had happened recently. Damn the accounts, he had barely spoken to his Court Sorcerer, his friend, since then, and it had been weighing on his conscience… And his mood. Grinning, he head to find Flint. And change into something that actually felt comfortable.  
_

Merlin felt as though a cool rush of air hit him as he pulled out from the connection with the scrying bowl. On the upside, the Sorcerer on the Western mountains had been perfectly willing to tell him all they knew. On the downside, what they knew amounted to nothing more than they already knew. Aside from a closer estimate s to their numbers. From what they had told him, there were no less than fifty, no more than one-hundred. But that still left a grey area. He had been speaking to them for almost half an hour, and, when he finally thanked them and broke the connection, his left arm had gone dead from his leaning on it. As he shook the tightness form the muscles, he got to his feet, left a note for Taren saying he would be at the Tavern, then the Training fields, and made his way up through the town.  
Three minor injuries, and a check up with Gaius, who had informed him that the illness was nothing more than a light infection which should clear up in a matter of days, and Merlin arrived at the Training fields.  
Bedivere was the first to notice him, but the others soon caught sight.  
"Merlin! Bout time you got down here. We miss the flaming rocks being pelted at our heads…"  
"I've never used flaming rocks… Though that is a very good idea…"  
Merlin pretended to consider it, mainly to see the expressions on the faces of the knights. Bedivere hastily spoke up.  
"No, no. Rocks is fine. Did you manage to get Arthur to join us today?"  
"As a matter of fact…"  
"Yes." Arthur finished for him, jogging up behind them. "The smooth tongued, fact twisting moron got me down here… So, what's on the menu today?"  
\-----

Half an hour later, and a crowd had gathered to watch, what had fast become, their favourite game. Merlin pelted clumps of earth and rocks at the knights, who ducked, dodged or deflected them with their swords. They had been doing it for twenty minutes and Merlin was getting slightly bored. After another few minutes, he let them all drop to the floor.  
"Well… Seeing as this is little more than a game now, maybe I can get a bit more inventive?"  
At that, many of the knights' expressions fell, as they knew that the chances of them enjoying the experience was very slim.  
Merlin thought for a few moments, letting them catch their breath, then grinned, recalling Bedivere' earlier words. Maybe not fire though… That may be a bit too dangerous… Then he grinned again. But if it wasn't hot fire… and they only thought it was…  
The knights all paled at the small smirk on the sorcerers face, and Arthur immediately realised that this was not going to be fun.  
Merlin grinned. This was going to be fun. He took a breath, and spoke up.  
"In battles, many magic users rely on the elements. Not so much for attacking, though that certainly will be the case quite often, as for causing disruption. For example, gusts of wind… Sudden rain, though that would take someone with a lot of power, and, mainly, fire. Fire has many uses. Cutting off an enemy, attacking… And the ways it can be used are… well, limitless I guess. How about I show you a few?"  
Merlin searched for the words he needed, and formed the spell, before releasing his magic.  
"Fuar Delbaeth…"  
Several rocks and clumps of earth roe into the air, flames encompassing them. Mutters swept through the spectators and even a couple of the nights looked slightly uneasy, though they stayed in position. Arthur, on the other hand, simply raised an eyebrow. Knowing that Merlin wouldn't do anything really dangerous, he had to wonder what was so different about these flames. Not that he was going to get hit be one to find out. Excalibur rose instinctively in his hand, blocking the first of the projectiles, before he was completely absorbed with the exercise.

He didn't notice how fast the time flew, and was surprised when Merlin stopped firing them. He realised that they must have been it for at least ten minutes. He let Excalibur fell to his side, only to see Merlin vanish, reappearing behind him.  
"Did I say the exercise was over?" he asked, and Arthur didn't need to turn to know he was grinning. The other men immediately picked up on the relapse to the old training routine, and formed a tight knit group.  
Merlin smiled as he saw the formation they were in. They were learning. But it was till dangerous for them to all stick together in one place. He decided to inform them of it. Appearing ten feet away from Bedivere, he spoke up.  
"Much better formation… But in a battle, you won't be able to concentrate in one point. Let's see how you do when you break off into pairs."  
It still felt unusual to have his orders obeyed so readily, but he shrugged it off. He would have to get used to it. The group split into seven pairs, and Merlin grinned at the irony of the number, before transporting himself towards the pair furthest from him. Sir Daniel and Tristan spun around at the sound of his appearance, and he moved again, immediately, to another pair. The suddenness of his movements had several of the men slightly flustered, and enabled him to tap sir Owain and Tristan on the back. He was pleased to see how they immediately attached themselves to the other groups. They were used to working as a team, but exercises like this required more than just teamwork. They had to begin to think as one. Merlin took a few seconds respite by the trees, and realised that at the rate he was using magic, he should have been tired. But he was barely breaking a sweat. He put it to the back of his mind. He seemed to have no trouble controlling the magic, and it wasn't too difficult, so he doubted there was anything wrong.

After seeing how suspicious the other men were beginning to look, even though they never lowered their guard, Merlin decided to add more fun into the mix. His words were barely a whisper.  
"Fuar Delbaeth…"  
Immediately, small clumps of earth caught light and sped towards the men. Merlin extinguished one before it hit Daniel's neck, and called out to them.  
"Always be aware of your surroundings. Sorcerers won't stick to using one trick…"  
Once he was satisfied that the others had taken his words into account, he let more flaming projectiles fly towards them, then decided to test his new energy reserves and transported himself back into the crowd.  
Ten minutes later, and three other knights joined Tristan and Owain.  
Gareth, Cador, Emerec, and Lionel followed within the next ten minutes, leaving Daniel and Peredur back to back and Arthur, Bedivere and Erec in a three.  
A further five minutes and Daniel and Peredur were tapped on the shoulder, having been focused on a flaming ball, enabling Merlin to jump in, tap them both, and vanish.  
Arthur, Bedivere and Erec were back to back, and Merlin knew he was going to have a hard time of it. They had all become very strong competitors in these sessions, though they would have made the perfect group if Gwaine and Leon were with them. Taking a few moments break, Merlin noticed that Gwen, Gaius, Alice and Taren had joined the watchers, and were discussing what was going on. Taren caught his eye, from where he was leaning behind a tree, and winked at him, giving him a subtle thumbs up. Merlin returned the gesture and ran a hand through his hair, pushing his fringe from in front of his eyes. After a couple more moments, Merlin sent several clumps of earth, some flaming and some normal, towards the three men, and gave them a couple of seconds to deal with them before sending another lot and transporting himself over to them. He ducked as he got there, creating enough confusion for him to dodge Bedivere's out-swinging arm and tapping him on the shoulder. Merlin vanished again, leaving Bedivere to clap Arthur and Erec on the back, wishing them luck, and make his way over to the others.  
Arthur and Erec made a great team. The others were good at this, but these two had stood out from the beginning. Merlin knew it would be hard to whittle it down to one of them and flexed his shoulder. Then he grinned, and raised a hand. Air began to swirl, sending gusts at the two men. The knights who had been caught out became much more interested in what was happening, now realising that they may not have to sit there for nigh on half an hour as Merlin tried to catch one of the men out. And also realising that they could pick up some tricks for the next time the sorcerer pulled this out.  
Merlin topped the elemental mix off with a few flaming projectiles, and had to extinguish one as it nearly hit Bedivere. It wouldn't have injured him, but still… He also lowered the speed of the wind, which had come out more powerful than he intended. A sudden thought hit him, and he realised that the stream of magic had steadily increased. He hadn't even realised. Merlin dropped his hold over the air, letting it fall back to its original light breeze, and extinguished the clumps of earth.

At first, Bedivere and Arthur looked suspicious, but as Merlin walked into sight, hands raised in mock surrender, they seemed to understand. As Merlin reached them, he realised that both of the men were breathing heavily. It didn't stop Arthur from making a comment.  
"You finally got tired Merlin…?" then he looked closely, and noticed that the young man in front of him wasn't even so much as slightly tired. "Apparently not. Why did you stop?"  
"… It doesn't matter. I guess I just… yeah…"  
Neither looked happy at the vague answer, but whereas Bedivere shrugged it off and turned to his comrades as they walked up, Arthur squinted at the sorcerer, knowing that there was more to it than that.  
"Merlin? You never miss a chance to show me up. What's wrong?"  
"I just… I realised I was using more power than I knew… I didn't realise how much it had increased and…"  
Arthur nodded, understanding flooding him.  
"You are still afraid that you will lose control over it?"  
"Yeah… But It's all good. You did better this time." Merlin turned to the whole group, before continuing. "You all did much better this time. Like I said before, you have to not only use teamwork, but have to start thinking in a similar way. Hence my need for some new tricks…"  
Tristan huffed at that.  
"Yeah… But those rocks were…"  
"Not covered in actual fire…" Merlin grinned, shaking his head at the bemused look directed at him. "Honestly… The fire was cold. Simply an illusion of fire… Here…" he held up his hand, and a small flame burst into life in his palm. It grew slightly and Erec passed his palm through.  
"Wow… It's actually cold. So it isn't real fire?"  
"Well… It is and it isn't… It's cold fire. Which makes no sense within the laws of normality does it?" Merlin replied, considering his last words.  
Erec flicked him on the side of his face.  
"Oi! No going into one of those damn day dreams of yours."  
"Oh no, if he wants to then let him, by all means," Arthur butted in, "At least he'll shut up for a while…"  
Merlin glared at him, but Arthur ignored it, gesturing to Gwen and Taren who were walking towards them.  
"Reckon we're in trouble for something?" He asked, but was met with silence as the knights all mysteriously vanished. Bedivere clapped Merlin on the back before he left,  
"Me and Tristan are heading to the Tavern. Tara just told Tristan that Leon is having some trouble with some unruly lower-towners… You gonna join us?"  
"Maybe… We'll see how this goes…" Merlin replied, gesturing to the rapidly approaching women.  
Bedivere nodded, grinning.  
"See ya mate…" he said, then hastily jogged off. Merlin shook his head, smiling, and turned to see Taren.

Both men were surprised when they received congratulations instead of a lecture on acting their age. It turned out that both of them ad rather enjoyed the session. Gwen informed Arthur that the Accountants had grudgingly agreed to postpone the meeting, and Taren told Merlin that the sorcerers that had left for the patrols had just sent in a tester message. Al of the mind-links were strong an there would be no trouble with sending alerts and reports. Then Taren surprised Merlin by saying that her and Gwen were planning on working on the gardens again. The two had become close friends, and their pet project was a small area of gardens tat Gwen was designing and Taren was bringing to life. Merlin was surprised because they had long since made it an evening pastime, not one for during the day, and he made a point of asking. Taren had simply shrugged.  
"This is the first day when neither of us has been swamped with meetings and tasks. We want to make the most of it. Oh, and Gwen wanted me to thank you for getting Arthur out of the castle. She was getting worried."  
Merlin grinned,  
"Tell her it's no problem. The feeling was mutual…"  
"Will do…" Gwen called Taren's name, and she said goodbye, heading off.  
Merlin let out a long breath, then turned to Arthur.  
"So… Tavern?"  
Arthur considered, then shrugged.  
"You know what? I'm gonna say yes. I'm just gonna go talk to Erec for a minute, so I'll meet you there."  
"You got it."

_____  
Merlin head off, deciding to walk it, instead of jumping the distance, to use the knights word for his ability, as he was still wary of the recent oddities with his magic. It took him just over five minutes to reach the Tavern, and he couldn't help thinking how time consuming it was.  
He opened the doors and was met with Chaos.

The first thing he saw was Leon, supported by Tristan, shouting insults at a two groups of rowdy lower town men, who were facing off. He then saw Bedivere, waving at him to come over, grinning at the spectacle.  
Returning the eye roll that the barmaid gave him at the sight of the men, and sitting down next to the knight, he grinned.  
"Not gonna help?"  
"Nah. Too funny to watch. Aren't you gonna help?  
"Nope. Arthur should be here within the next few minutes. I can't wait to see their faces…"  
"You managed to convince Arthur to take some more time off?"  
"Yup. That means I'm off the hook with that 'paying for your tab for a month' thing. That was the bet, Right?"  
Bedivere scowled, good-naturedly.  
"Yup. Oh look, it's escalated…"

The two men watched, amused, from the side-lines, as one of the rowdier men in the bunch hefted up a chair and flung it at the other group. Tankards of mead and ale soon followed and it fast became a full-on bar brawl.  
"So…" Merlin said, interested, "What caused it?"  
"Well, that guy there," Bedivere said, pointing out one of the men in the middle, "…The one throwing that chair at the moment…? He is getting married tomorrow. The other group is led by the girls brother. Those two have hated each other since they first laid eyes on each other, and yeah. Now this."  
"That story Is getting so old…"  
"I know. Still fun to watch though. Even if… Oh look! Leon just knocked that guy out cold. Obviously not a fan of these kind of things."  
Merlin watched the scene devolve with an expert eye. Someone retaliated against Leon with a ful tankard of ale, and Merlin grinned as the knights hair got wet.  
"Uh oh… Somebody's hair just got wet… I wouldn't want to be in that guy's shoes right now…"  
Bedivere nodded, watching the same man trip over his own feet and knock himself out on the edge of the table.  
Just then, the door opened and Arthur stepped inside. He ducked a flying tankard that collided against the wall behind him, but the others seemed to engrossed to notice their king entering.  
Spying Merlin, and the amused gleam in his eye, Arthur scooted around the edge of the fighting zone and came to a stop in front of the sorcerer, a half-amused, half-irritated glare in his eye.  
"Merlin? Would you mind?"  
"But Arthur…" Merlin whined, before ducking a wave of mead that came flying towards him. He wasn't fast enough, however, to avoid the spatter that landed on his neckerchief, and Bedivere whistled softly as he noticed it.  
"Oh no they didn't…"  
"Oh yes they did…" Arthur said, voice just as low. He hid the small grin that formed as Merlin noticed the stain. Merlin loved that neckerchief.  
"Actually Arthur," he said, through gritted teeth, "I'd be happy to." He turned to the fight, raising a hand, and didn't even bother with a spell.  
"Stad!"

Immediately, every tankard that was still in the air, every movement from any inanimate object was stopped. The silence and speed at which the brawl halted was almost comical. Merlin gestured to Arthur,  
"Before I pass onto King Arthur, I would like to know. Who threw that Mead at us?"  
It was incredible how much people remembered from a fight like this, and, indeed, everyone immediately slunk away from one particular man, who looked like a cornered deer. Merlin spoke up again.  
"You know what? That really irritated me. Know why?"  
The young man gave a half-formed, half coherent answer, and Merlin butt in before he could get a proper word out.  
"I'll tell you why. It's murder to get the stench of alcohol out of clothes. It really is. And you got it on my favourite neckerchief." Merlin let a small stream of floating ale, directly above the man's head, fall, soaking him. The man sputtered, as his mates hid their grins, and Merlin floated all of the other objects to the tables, accidentally letting a full tankard of mead empty itself over the man's head, soaking him further. As soon as they were all firmly stood on their own, Merlin released the magic, and glared at the man once more.  
"One very important rule. You never mess with the neckerchief. You got me?"  
The man nodded, unsure of what to say, and Merlin flopped back into his seat, sulking, and gestured to Arthur that he was finished. Arthur shook his head, stifling his laughter, and turned to the men, who all now looked decidedly shame-faced, if not a little afraid. Arthur spoke up.  
"Sarah here," he said, gesturing to the barmaid, "Is a veritable angel for putting up with this. And she will not be cleaning it up. If this place isn't clean within the next ten minutes, I'll have each and every one of you in the stocks. I'm not sure how the bride to be would react to a wedding like that…"  
The speed at which the men hastened to clear up the mess had Merlin and Bedivere laughing. Leon and Tristan were the same as they joined them.  
"Between the two of you," Leon snorted, gesturing to Arthur and Merlin, "I think that these guys have just had at least two heart attacks…"

They all grinned, and within five minutes, the bar looked perfectly clean, aside from two broken chairs and a few tankards, which Merlin readily fixed up, and were sat with their own drinks in front of them. Merlin felt a strange twang from his magic as he fixed the bar up, and resolved to use as little magic as possible over the next few days. But, for now, he put the matter to the back of his mind and started joking with the others.  
As they joked around, Merlin was pleased to see Arthur relax a little, letting out some of the tension that the King had been holding in for the last few days. Little did he know, but Arthur was thinking the exact same about him. Not to mention that the King was also grateful for Merlin's plot to get him laughing and joking about something other than matters of state. It was almost another hour before they realised how long they had been there. Erec and Daniel had joined them in that time, and Arthur was reluctant to leave, but he knew that he couldn't stay any longer. He was just about to say so before Peredur burst into the room.  
"Merlin! You have to come… Now…" He sounded desperate, and all of them had jumped to their feet before they had realised they had done so.  
"What's wrong?"  
"A few streets down… White dragon. I think it's Aithusa… The towns-people are lashing out and we… we can't stop them… You need to go…"  
His last words were directed at air as Merlin vanished, all ideas of using little magic having vanished with him. Arthur and the others immediately ran after Peredur, and the cries of the people echoed from two streets over.

Merlin appeared on the street corner near Taren's, and immediately saw a huge crowd. He started shoving his way through, and the sight that met his eyes at the front made his blood boil.  
Several of the town's people, and four guards, were stabbing at Aithusa with sticks and spears. Drops of blood littered the street and the young dragon was pressed up against the wall, obviously confused and afraid.  
He cried out, in his mind, reaching out to her.  
"Aithusa!"


	6. Dragons and Saxons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, Aithusa arrives with a warning, Merlin helps defeat a group of Saxons, The druids arrive, Merlin gets a pretty awesome gift and the Nightmares return...  
> Not much out of the ordinary then, huh?

"Merlin…" the reply from the young dragon was faint, but filled with relief as she caught sight of her Dragon Lord  
Merlin cried out, letting his anger into his words.  
"Get away from her!"  
At the sound of his voice, several people stopped, but one of the guards and two of the others, both men of middle age, continued jabbing at the dragon. With no thought for the repercussions, Merlin lashed out, creating a shield around the young dragon and pushing the men back.  
He repeated his words, but this time, his voice was low, filled with contempt.  
"I said, Get. Away. From. Her."  
At the tone in his voice, they all seemed to reflexively drop their weapons and vanished into the crowd. Merlin ran forward and dropped to his knees next to Aithusa, stoking her head. At the sight of him, the fear and confusion melted away, and relief filled her eyes.  
"Oh Aithusa… I'm sorry. I'm so sorry… You're safe now, I promise…"  
Aithusa seemed to get calmer as her Lord spoke, and she nuzzled closer to him.

Merlin healed the wounds in her wings, from the spear tips, and had to fight the urge to lash out at those who did it. He barely noticed Arthurs arrival, or the following actions, instead focusing on the young Dragon in front of him, who was far too young to have understood the hatred that had been directed at her. After a small time, she spoke into is mind.  
"Merlin… Such hatred… Yet they say that Dragons and other creatures of magic are evil…"  
"I know… But they won't ever hurt you again. I promise… Why didn't you call for me?"  
"Kilgarrah said you were binding your magic… I didn't want to burden you…"  
"Aithusa… That is ridiculous… In future, if you need me, you call for me. No matter what."  
Aithusa nodded her head, then got to her feet, stretching out her wings.  
"Thankyou…"  
"No need. It's the least I could do after… Why did you not attack them?"  
"It would have ruined everything you have worked for… And I knew you would come…"  
Merlin stroked her head again as he realised the depth of faith she had in him. Then again, he was her Dragon Lord after all…  
"Merlin?"  
"Yes?"  
"Don't let King Arthur punish them… It was through fear and ignorance that they attacked…"  
Grasping with both his own anger at what had happened, and at her bewildering ability to switch between sounding very young and very old, Merlin gritted his teeth, nodding.  
"As you wish… Arthur…?"  
The king immediately looked over to him, obviously as angry and disgusted as Merlin by what had happened.  
"Yes Merlin?"  
"Aithusa wishes to speak with you…"  
"Of course…"  
Merlin reverted back to speaking within his mind as he addressed the Dragon again.  
"You must ask that of him. I can't forgive them that easily I fear…"  
Aithusa nodded, and her light, musical voice filled the street, leaving shocked expressions on the spectators faces. Both at the sound of her voice and at the words she spoke.

"King Arthur… I want no harm to come to those responsible for this… They acted through fear… and ignorance of what I am… It is no fault of their own…"  
Arthur's eyes widened, and he shook his head, bewildered.  
"But Aithusa… This is unacceptable behaviour… It cannot be allowed to stand."  
"I wish to cause no trouble within Camelot's walls."  
Arthur shook his head, bemused, but nodded.  
"As you will. I never thought I would meet another being with as much forgiveness as Merlin…"  
Aithusa dipped her head to him, then turned back to Merlin.  
"Kilgarrah sent me. He has been keeping track of a group of Saxons that have been travelling through the forests. They are but half an hour away from colliding with one of the Camelotian patrols. You have to leave soon, else they will not be able to hold… I would have been here sooner, but I had to travel the width of the western mountains."  
Arthur and the other knights had started cursing at her words, and Leon gestured for the rest of them to prepare to ride out.  
"Arthur? We have to leave now. Aithusa? Where is the patrol situated?"  
"On the path alongside the Downing Stream."  
At Leon's confused expression, Merlin butt in.  
"She means near to the fourth base camp…"  
Leon nodded.  
"I'll get the horses saddled for you…"  
Merlin shook his head.  
"No need. I won't be riding with you…"

Arthur had raised an eyebrow at that.  
"What? Why…?"  
"It will be a half hour ride from here… It will take but ten minutes by Dragon back. Aithusa needs ten or fifteen minutes to get her strength back, and I'm not leaving her alone. She'll fly me there afterwards…"  
Arthur looked about to say something, but changed his mind, nodding.  
"See you there." He turned to the crowds, a spark of anger residing in his eyes.  
"These actions today have shamed the people of Camelot. One of our truest allies and you attack her through ignorance. She has asked that no-one be punished for these actions, but if they occur again, then rest assured, I will issue punishment accordingly. Now, I believe that you all have better things to be getting along with?"  
The crowd scattered, and Arthur turned to Aithusa, dipping his head.  
"I am truly sorry for their actions, Aithusa. Nothing of the kind will happen again on my watch, I promise you that. And thank you for coming to our aid. If there is anything I can do for you in future, please do not hesitate to ask."  
Aithusa nodded, and Arthur turned to Merlin,  
"We will see you in half an hour… Don't be late?"  
"Me? Late? Arthur, I'm insulted…"  
Leon snorted at that, and Arthur grinned.  
"Sure… Leon, let's go."  
They turned and ran back up the street, leaving Merlin with Aithusa. Merlin let out a deep breath, and turned to Aithusa, stroking the top of her head.  
"Will you definitely be able to fly me there?"  
"Yes… And back as well. I am perfectly fine…"  
"Okay… If you're sure…"

Ten minutes later, and Aithusa had got her strength back. She got to her feet properly, making Merlin realise just how much she had grown. He was now far taller than him, if her neck was stretched out.  
"Aithusa… You've grown."  
"Indeed. How observant of you…"  
Her eyes held a mischievous sparkle, and Merlin grinned, turning as he heard footsteps behind him and seeing Taren running towards him.  
"Merlin! I just wanted to tell you to be careful… Not that you need me to, but… I just… Just though I'd… you know…"  
"I'll be careful Taren, thankyou… Oh, and this is Aithusa…"  
Taren ducked her head to the dragon, and Aithusa returned the gesture, speaking out loud.  
"It is a pleasure, young sorceress. You have my thanks for supporting Merlin through the recent changes throughout Camelot."  
"The pleasure is mine, Aithusa…" She turned to Merlin, "You had better get going…"  
Merlin nodded, using Aithusa's leg to jump onto her back, settling in the dip between her shoulders. The second he was in place, Aithusa spread her wing and spiralled up, flapping her wing to gain altitude. A few second later and they were levelled out in the skies above Camelot, flying towards the forests.  
Almost ten minutes later, and Aithusa changed direction, gliding down to just above the tree line. It wasn't long before Merlin heard the sounds of fighting. Aithusa craned her head back to look at him, and spoke in his mind.  
"It seems we estimated too highly. The fighting has already begun… And the patrol are greatly outnumbered…"  
"Okay Aithusa… set me down just behind the treeline, behind the Camelotian line… They are mainly guards, and the only knights down there are Edwin and Tanner… The sorcerers with them are Gale and Jacob… they should be okay for a while…"  
Aithusa nodded her understanding and swung lower, heading into the trees.  
A few moments later and Merlin was running through the trees. He came out into the scene of the fighting just as Edwin took a crossbow bolt to the shoulder.

Lashing out at the small group of Saxons surrounding the knight, they all went flying into the nearby trees. Edwin turned, momentarily confused until he spotted Merlin, at which point he sagged slightly in relief.  
"Edwin! How does it go?"  
"Gale and Jacob are with most of the guards, but some are with Tanner. They are holding, but we won't for long…"  
Merlin had reached him by then, and nodded,  
"Arthur is on his way… We can hold till then. Head for the others, I'll cover you."  
"But what about you?"  
"I'll be fine. I bought a friend…"  
At those words, a jet of fire rained down from above, creating a barrier between the two men and the fifteen Saxons who were heading towards them.  
Edwin jumped at it, but Merlin shoved him towards the others, who were all seeming much happier at the sight of their Court Sorcerer.  
"It's fine, she's with me. Move!"

They reached the others, who had all formed a line, preparing for the time that the fire would die down. Gale spoke up.  
"Glad to see you Emrys… Perfect timing again… And I assume that we are being aided by Aithusa?"  
Merlin grinned in response,  
"Yes. It was her who alerted us to your plight. Arthur and the others are heading this way, so we need only hold them for a few more minutes."  
The men nodded, and Merlin turned as the fire eventually began to die down. Raising a hand, he didn't bother with a spell as he reached out to the surrounding trees. Within moments, all of the Saxons were enveloped in spinning wreaths of leaves and clump of earth. The men moved in, and Merlin let the wind drop, leaving them a clear path.  
It was just then that Arthur arrived.  
"Merlin!"  
"Arthur! No desperate threats… Good thing you arrived when you did though!"  
Arthur nodded, and, with the others, ran to join the fray. Knowing that he couldn't use much magic without hindering his own side, Merlin blasted at the Saxons who ran at him, but suddenly felt the presence of another magic user. Spinning, he found himself face to face with someone familiar.

"Emrys… It's a pleasure to see you again…" Thane said, and three other figures materialised beside him. "It is a shame that it is under such circumstances… I hear you have one of my Brothers? Lucas? Rest assured, we will have him out of your hands soon enough…"  
"Thane… The pleasure is mine. After all, the last time we met, I sent you running for the trees…"  
Thane cursed, and the four sorcerers raised their hands.  
Before they could so much as open their mouths to cast a spell, Merlin felt his magic pooling inside him and time seemed to slow. The force behind the magic was more powerful than he could have imagined. As it built up, however, he realised that he could sense it… relate to it. His eyes flashed gold as he sent a wave of blue towards them. Two of the sorcerers were thrown back, and Thane and another were force to take several steps back whilst throwing up shields. Hearing a cry behind him, Merlin turned to see several Saxon's running towards him, he kept the flow of magic into attacking the sorcerer's shields and drew Shadowmancer. The magic coursing through him seemed to flow to the sword, making it feel like a part of him. It almost seemed to dance in his hand as he disarmed and downed four Saxons within a couple of moments. It was just then that Arthur turned up next to him.  
His eyes were wide, having seen Merlin's actions over the last few minutes, but he downed the remaining three Saxons, positioning himself back to back with the Warlock.  
"We've got the upper hand. Thought I'd see if you needed a hand… apparently not…"  
"You kidding? I have my hands full with these idiots… Perfect timing."  
Three more Saxons head towards them, but Merlin trusted Arthur to deal with them, focusing on Thane and the other sorcerer.  
He blasted another wave at them, making the jets of energy flying at him dissipate, harmlessly blowing around him.  
The duel only lasted another few seconds, as the two sorcerers were blasted back, beyond the treeline, just as Arthur stabbed the last Saxon through the gut.

Looking around, Merlin realised that the remaining attackers were in retreat, and sighed in relief.  
"Thank god…" Then he noticed two figures flitting through the trees and immediately took off after him. Arthur was hot in pursuit of him, but Merlin was focused solely on the sorcerers that were escaping.  
Then he realised how ridiculous it was that he was running through a forest in pursuit of a couple of sorcerers. A flash of gold and the two figures slowed, as though running through a bog… which they now were. Merlin grinned at his handy-work and caught up with them, freezing them in place and placing a magical binding on them. As he sent them into a sleep, he cursed, realising that neither of them was Thane. Arthur cursed too, realising what Merlin was mad about, and sighed.  
"Damn it… He's one slippery devil…"  
"Yeah…" then the Warlock' face paled, "Damnú air!" he exclaimed, cursing. "Thane said something about Lucas… About them getting him out of our hair or some-such…"  
Arthur cursed too,  
"We have to get back to Camelot…"  
"My thoughts exactly… Aithusa could get me there? Would you be alright here?"  
"Sure… You bound these two's magic, right?"  
"Yeah…"  
"Then go. We can't afford to have Lucas getting away."  
Merlin nodded, and called for Aithusa, who landed back in the clearing a few moments later. Some of the men were looking at her, warily, but Edwin, Gale and Jacob were all thanking her for her help. The thanks changed to startled exclamations as Merlin ran up. Aithusa nodded to them, and lowered her leg so that Merlin could jump on her back. As soon as he was seated, she leapt up, spiralling upwards, and, at his urging, head directly towards Camelot.  
Leon turned to Bedivere, bemused.  
"Ya know? I start to think that there is nothing he can do to surprise us, then he goes and rides a dragon…"  
Bedivere nodded, grinning.  
"Yup… I don't think we're gonna ever learn about all of his tricks…"

Merlin literally leapt off of Aithusa when she landed in the courtyard, and thanked her.  
"Aithusa, Thanks. Meet me in the clearing Tomorrow morning? I get the feeling Arthur and a few of the knights will want to speak with you…"  
"Of course… I will see you then."  
She too off, the sunlight reflecting off of her scales, drawing the eye of everyone in the courtyard. Their eyes flipped to him as he started running, but he ignored them. He wove his way through the countless figures in the castle's corridors, ducking outstretched arms and baskets, spinning around piles of towels and bedding, dodging full pitchers of wine and shouting out responses to greetings thrown at him.  
He span around the corner to the dungeon entrances and leapt down the stairs two or three at a time. He span around the bannister at the bottom and legged it down to the cell where they had placed Lucas, quickly followed by the bewildered guards.  
As he skid to a halt in front of the cell, he let out a curse, blasting out in frustration at the wall, knowing that Gaius would definitely not have approved of that action.  
The cell was empty, with a small scrap of cloth left on the bench, a defaced druid symbol crossed with the crest of Camelot covering it, mocking them.  
He swept aside the guards bewildered apologies and explanations, telling them to return to their posts. He stalked back up through the castle, his paces measured. His frustration must have shown, because many people sidestepped him, leaving him in peace. Reaching the courtyard again, he realise that it would be at least half an hour before Arthur and the others returned, with them having to have dealt with the bodies and prisoners. Calling to one of the newer stable hands, a young man who got on well with him, they both saddled up his horse and he prepared to ride out. He also told Flint, who had just run down to see what was going on, the basics of what had happened, leaving him with messages for Taren, Gwen and Gaius, before riding out.  
He was pretty sure that they would not have remained in Camelot, but set the other sorcerers he saw on alert anyway. It was more likely that those in the forest were in the most danger.

Sticking to the forest paths, he rode for nearly twenty minutes until he caught sight of the others, heading back to Camelot.  
Their faces fell as he related what he had found, and Arthur cursed. After a few moments of silence, Bedivere spoke up.  
"Then we should send out parties…?"  
Merlin shook his head.  
"They will be long gone… I wouldn't be surprised if this thing with the Saxons was simply a distraction… What worries me is that they obviously had someone in Camelot to know the layout of the castle so well…"  
Arthur nodded, his thoughts having obviously been along the same ideas, but didn't comment.  
The two sorcerers still hadn't woken, and Merlin cursed to himself in the old tongue.  
"Damnú air… Go mbeire an diabhal leis thú…"  
The others looked confused, and Leon spoke up.  
"Is that magic?"  
"No… The old tongue has more than one use… I was just… swearing I guess…"  
"What did you say?"  
"Damn it… And may the devil take you with him… I wasn't really in the mood for eloquently worded insults…"  
Bedivere's face brightened up.  
"So… Could you teach us the old tongue, even if we don't have magic? You know, just a few words or something…?"  
Merlin raised his eyebrows,  
"Seriously? Why would you…?"  
"Boredom… Interest… Seriously, I want to know… Plus I can then insult Gwaine and he will have no idea what I'm talking about…"  
Merlin laughed,  
"Fair enough… What do you want to know?"  
Tristan butted in before Bedivere could answer.  
"How do you say 'damn it'?"  
"Damnú air…"  
And so it went on. By the time they reached the skirts of the forest by Camelot, all of the men had a bunch of insults under their belt, and Merlin couldn't help grinning. He had the feeling that certain phrases would be circling Camelot in no time…  
They had just exited the forest when two horses rode up to them. Merlin raised a hand, as the others aid hand on their swords, as he recognised Aglain and Dawn.  
Jumping down from his horse as Dawn and Aglain did, the old man showing a lot of agility for one his age, and grasped hands with the old druid. Bedivere had likewise dismounted, and the knight ignored the whistles and raised eyebrows as he pulled Dawn into a hug.  
Merlin grinned and turned to Aglain.  
"It's good to see you… But I was told to expect your people this evening?"  
"We made good time Merlin. But we will be willing to wait for a few hours if it is easier."  
"No, no. It's fine. Just that a lot has happened today, and I'm surprised that it is still only mid-afternoon. How long will it take you to reach the city?"  
"No more than an hour."  
"If it's easier, we have an entrance to the new catacomb areas just outside the city walls. Many of you could enter that way, though Arthur was hoping to have your leaders for a dinner tonight?"  
"Of course… That would be fine. I know that many would relish the chance to rest."  
Merlin nodded,  
"If you wait at the skirts of the forest, I'll head back to Camelot and get a few people to show you where you're going. Then, you can have a few hours to settle before tonight…"  
Just then, Arthur came up behind him.  
"Aglain," he said, nodding his head, "You made good time. I assume Merlin has told you of our plans?"  
"Yes, your majesty."  
"Arthur, please. I've had a disliking for titles since I turned king…"  
"Very well, Arthur."  
"Can I expect you for a dinner tonight? And, of course, the other druid elders?"  
"Of course Arthur. It would be an honour."  
"Merlin has informed me that there would be seven of you? Including yourself?"  
"Yes, that is so. And I am sure that all will be honoured to join you."  
"Very well. Then I will see you tonight. I'm afraid that we had best head back to Camelot."  
"Of course…"  
Arthur turned to Merlin,  
"Are you staying?"  
"If that is okay with you. I can easily send Gale with a message for Taren and Gally. We can have the druids settled by evening…"  
"That's fine with me. The sooner the better. We'll have to talk about recent developments, but that can wait until after the diner tonight."  
"Sure… I need to sort out your damn paperwork anyway, so that's fine."  
"Okay. I'll see you later. Oh, and I may leave Bedivere and Leon here. Leon because he is good with things like this and Bedivere because… well…"  
"Yeah… Good plan."  
Arthur head off and Merlin told Gale to give a message to Taren and Gally. Leon nodded at Arthur's request, and a huge smile split Bedivere's face. He glared as Tristan and Peredur wolf-whistled, but Dawn simply smirked and crossed her arms.  
"No wonder they can't get women of their own…" she said, just loud enough for everyone to hear, "Most men normally grow up…"  
It was the two men's turns to glare, but it only lasted for a few seconds, and they grinned. Bedivere looked like he had found the greatest treasure on the face of the earth, but, Merlin figured, for him, that may indeed be the case.

Half an hour later and Merlin was being greeted by the rest of the druids. After a few minutes, he left Leon to talk with the elders, and turned his attention to the children who were all vying for his attention. Grinning, he raised a hand and several leaves began swirling. They formed spinning cocoons, and the younger children started squealing and dancing between them. Merlin kept up the spell for another five minutes before he felt a strange twinge, causing him to drop the magic. He hid his confusion and un-surety, however, resolving to ask Kilgarrah about it that night. Small oddities in his magic seemed to be increasing every-time he used powerful spells. But he had no idea what they meant, and resolved to use as little magic as possible until he could speak to the Great Dragon.  
The children didn't seem to mind, instead starting to try it for themselves. Merlin smiled at their attempts, and tweaked their words and arm positions, until many of them held steady streams of leaves dancing around in the air. Their parents didn't seem to mind. Indeed, they were encouraging their children and thanking Merlin for his time.  
He assured them that it was his pleasure, and spent another five minutes with them, until Taren and several others rode up, three other sorcerers and a couple of knights.

"Merlin. Glad to see you back okay."  
"Good to see you too. How is the garden going?"  
"Great. Me and Gwen got another section completed this morning. Gale said you wanted to get most of the druids back through the forest entrance?"  
"Yeah. It's probably the fastest and safest way. I'll tell you later."  
Taren nodded, and Merlin got to his feet, gesturing to Aglain that he wanted to speak to them.  
It was eerie how quickly the noise settled, but Merlin cleared his throat and spoke up.  
"First of all, I appreciate the effort that it must have taken for you to get here. I know it can't have been easy. It will, however, keep you safer than where you would normally be, with the Brotherhood planning attacks right across the kingdom. As it is, me and many of the sorcerers in Camelot have spent the last few days making the catacombs as comfortable as we can. I know that you are an outdoor people, so created another passage out to the forest, which is where we are going to enter. We are aware of the risk of spies within Camelot, so it is safer for you if we hide your exact numbers. As it is, I am hoping to have most of you settled in before this evening is out. I know that the situation is not ideal, indeed, I really wish that there was a better alternative, but if there is anything I can do for you, anything at all, then please don't hesitate to let me, or one of other sorcerers in Camelot, know, and I will do everything within my power to help you.  
The people of Camelot are fully aware of your presence, but I am afraid that some are against the idea. None-the-less, they will not bother you. Both I and King Arthur have made that quite clear. Feel free to explore the city, and interact with the people, but please, for your own safety, stay with at least one other, which the citizens of Camelot have also been ordered to do, in consideration of the Brotherhood and their eagerness to hurt anyone and everyone to try and destabilise Camelot.  
So, if you have any questions, then feel free to ask me, or Taren, Gally, Eddie, or Sophie, or, indeed, any of the knights." He said, gesturing to each of them in turn, then he turned to Leon.  
"Leon? Is there anything you would like to add?"  
"No, I think that sums it up, only that any of you should feel perfectly alright in coming to any of the Knights in Camelot, with any problems you might have. As of now, we fully consider you to be worthy of the same attention as any citizen of Camelot."  
Merlin nodded, then spoke up again.  
"Okay, so… We have decided it would be easier to move in in groups of about twenty… maybe if you move by settlement? That way, it would give you a much easier time of it. Aglain? If you would like to sort that amongst yourselves, and Taren will lead the firs group…"

It took nearly three hours to get everyone settled in the catacombs, and Merlin hated the way they had to live in tunnels, when they were an outdoor people. But he knew that there was not really any choice. I took another half an hour for him to make himself happy with the state of things, before he left with the elders. Taren and the others would remain for a bit longer, ensuring that everything was okay.  
Merlin led the elders rough the Castle, and learnt their names. Aside from Aglain, there was Corrinne, Holly, Luke, Ellis, Sayle and Taylon. He led them up to his own chambers, realising that he had to change out of his blood stained clothes, and told them to make themselves comfortable. He hastily changed, into a dark red tunic, brown leggings and his brown jacket, with a fresh, brighter red neckerchief, before heading back down.  
All but Holly and Luke had become interested in the library in the other room, and Merlin was about to say something o them when there was a knock on the door.  
He opened it to find Flint.  
"Merlin… Arthur sent me to say that Dinner Is in ten minutes… Seeing as it took me five to get there, you may want to head down now…?"  
Merlin grinned,  
"Thanks Flint. You may as well take the rest of the night off. I'm doing Arthur's paperwork, so I can do whatever else needs doing."  
"You sure?"  
"Yeah… You go get some rest. If he works you as hard as he used to work me, then I know you need it."  
"Thanks Merlin…"  
"No problem. Scat."  
Flint head off and Merlin turned to the others.  
"Dinner's just about done… You ready to head down?"  
After a promise to Sayle and Corinne that they could visit his library as often as they liked, whether he was there or not, he managed to drag the reluctant druids from the huge bookcases and down through the castle.

As Merlin opened the doors, standing aside to let the other in, he noticed that Arthur was already there, along with two of the lords and Leon.  
After a lot of handshaking and introductions, Gwen rushed in, apologising for her lateness. She sat down just as the first course was served.  
After the first course, a chicken soup, which was taken up with talks about how things were going so far, the conversation moved onto the druid lifestyle.  
The main course came and went, with the druids really got into the discussion about their lifestyle and traditions, spurred on by the others interest.  
Over dessert, a selection of fruits, the conversation turned to life in Camelot, and by the time bread and cheese was served, Merlin new that his job of creating a friendship between his people and Camelot had been completed. He could see that several firm friendships were forming between the druids and the lords, and Luke and Leon had spent the past twenty minutes discussing the different attributes to certain fighting styles. Seeing as Luke came from a more offensive than defensive group of druids, he wasn't at all surprised by it. The only problem that Merlin and was that Corinne and Sayle still insisted on calling him Emrys, or referred to his as Lord. Realising, however, that their respective encampments were the more respectful and deferential of the seven main encampments, he decided to let it pass. Though he still twinged uncomfortably when they said it.  
By the time the meal had ended, and the elders excused themselves, Merlin was more relaxed than he had been in quite some time, realising that he had been so worried about the druids and those in Camelot getting off on the wrong foot. Of course, there was still the general citizens to deal with, but tonight's dinner had cheered him up considerably. After informing Arthur that he would return after escorting the druids back to their people, Merlin left the room, leaving the non-magical guests to discuss everything between themselves. Merlin wasn't worried. Arthur would tell him if there was a problem.  
_____

Before Merlin had a chance to wish them goodnight and leave, Aglain had pulled him inside, and presented him with a small, ornately carved wooden box. Before Merlin could ask, Taylon spoke up.  
"Merlin… we know you do not wish to be thanked for everything you have done for our people, but in this instance, we must insist upon it."  
Corinne spoke up,  
"Yes Emrys. In the box is a rare crystal. An Aurora Stone. We believe it will be of great use to you. It is a storage pace for a, theoretically, limitless amount of power. After what happened to you over the last couple of weeks, we believed it was necessary, lest you end up in a situation like that again without some kind of protection. You can store your own power within the stone, leaving you with a weapon which can be as dangerous as an army of sorcerers…"  
Merlin opened the box, and was stunned by the pendant inside. It was a blue stone, the same colour as hi eyes, with streaks of gold cross its surface. It was held in place by a web of magically enforced gold, the same material which made up the chain of the pendant. The chain was long enough to double up and go around his neck. He lifted the stone from the box, speechless for some time. Then he turned to the group, who were all anxiously for his reaction.  
"Its… beautiful… But I can't…"  
"Of course you can accept it." This was Holly's brusque voice. "If you refuse, I'm afraid we will all be insulted…"  
"But I…" Merlin looked around at the smiling faces and felt a smile form on his own face. He nodded, respectfully, to the old druids, "Thank you. You have no idea how much I appreciate it."  
"It's our pleasure Merlin." Aglain said, and Merlin nodded, before grinning wildly.  
"You know Kilgarrah Is going to lecture me on this for at least twenty minutes later…"  
Luke raised an eyebrow,  
"The Great Dragon?"  
"Yes. Several of us will be speaking with him and Aithusa early tomorrow morning… you are free to join us if you like?"  
Luke nodded,  
"I would have greatly appreciated that Emrys, but I'm afraid I must decline. My place is with my people tonight. Another time perhaps."  
The other said the same, and, after thanking them again for the crystal, Merlin took his leave. He placed the pendant around his neck, and experimentally felt for it with his magic. He poured a small stream of magic into it, and it glowed faintly before sinking back to its usual colour. Merlin grinned. He wouldn't be caught defenceless again…

He entered Arthurs chambers to find the young king half asleep on his desk. The blonde head rose up as he entered, and he stifled a yawn.  
"You took your time… And what's that?"  
"An Aurora Stone. Basically a crystal that I can store magic in… A gift from the druid elders…"  
"Funny… Suits you in some obscure way."  
Merlin grinned and perched on the edge of the desk. He caught sight of the stack of papers on Arthurs desk, some he had obviously attempted to finish.  
Merlin grabbed a quill and started scrawling. They were silent for a few minutes, until Arthur spoke up.  
"I didn't expect them to be so… Talkative…"  
"But you got on well?"  
"Yes. As did the others. I saw several firm friendships starting… Especially Lord Estener and Taylon, and Leon and Luke…"  
"I got the same… So it's looking like it was a good idea… Especially as the Brotherhood seem to have the support of the Saxons and definitely have spies in Camelot."  
"Yes… I've put the two sorcerers we captured today in the same cell row as Lucas was in, and posted extra guards… I'm going to have someone talk to them tomorrow…"  
"Can I have a try first? If I can get them to talk, there would be less of a risk to Mitch…"  
"… Are you sure…?"  
"Well… I convinced Harmony and the others, so I may have a chance here… I have to check with the druids tomorrow morning, but I'm free from noon. Now that the druids are here, my time has freed itself up dramatically…"  
"Very well… I'll inform Leon. I want someone down there with you…"  
"Okay… About this notice to the other kingdoms?" Merlin changed the subject as he picked up a notice for the upcoming peace negotiations.  
"I… Ah, I can't write it. I can't seem to word it right…"  
"Okay, I'm on it… Anyway, what do you want to do about Lucas and Thane?"  
"Like you said, search parties are pointless, so I guess it's just a waiting game… unless the group you dispatched to the border get any information… But we won't hear from them for at least another day or two so…"  
"Damn, I hate waiting."  
"Yeah, I know. You've got as impatient as me lately…"  
"Impossible…"  
"Hey! I'm not that bad…"  
"You tried to write a treaty notice yourself instead of waiting few moments for me, knowing you would fail at it."  
"… Okay, so I may be slightly impatient…"  
"Very… I know that more than anyone. The speed I had to do the bloody chores you gave me…"  
"What? And you didn't use magic?"  
"In the middle of Camelot? In front of you? It was hard enough in the middle of a battle."  
"… Fair enough."

They were quiet for a while longer as Merlin wrote out a notice in response to the update on Camelot's financial status, and then in response to the basic food stores updates and restocking.  
At news of the druids arrival, the stocks had been increased accordingly, making more paperwork.  
Merlin moved onto the peace treaty notice, in preparation for the planned talks next month, and decided to scrap Arthur's attempt.  
"Merlin?"  
"Hmm?"  
"When did you learn to be so fluent with words?"  
"… I have no idea. I guess I just… always had a gift with words."  
Arthur grinned the double meaning, and sighed.  
"And have you never accidentally switched from oe to the other without realising?"  
"No" Merlin laughed, "I only learnt the old tongue when I first came to Camelot, and I learnt to be careful when using magic anyway, so I guess it was just a habit to separate the two completely. That's one of the reason it's so hard for me to get used to using magic in public. I'm so used to switching from the old tongue in front of people…"  
"Well, you don't seem to have trouble with it now?"  
"I've had time to get used to it. Still surprises me at times though… Did you want me to work on the speech for the actual treaty talks?"  
"If you have the time. If not, I'll have to turn to Gwen. She is as horrified by my writing skills as you are…"  
"I'll make the time. I always managed before…"

An hour later, Merlin had finished the treaty notice, had drafted responses to the stack of alerts, notices and reports and had flicked a wrist to complete getting the room as it should be. He had started doing that just as he was finishing the last drafts, and he stifled a yawn as he finished.  
He left just as Gwen arrived, and said goodnight, heading up to his own rooms. For the first time in a long time, he managed to kick off more than his boots, though he didn't bother to change fully, leaving on his leggings and tunic, as he had only been wearing them for a couple of hours and couldn't be bothered to reach his wardrobe. He had decided to keep the crystal around his neck, and sent another wave of magic into the stone, making it glow again. Gally would wake him in the morning, if he needed it, so that they could head to meet the Dragons, but he intended to get some sleep before then. He rolled onto his back and sighed, giving in to sleep.  
Unfortunately, that meant giving in to a nightmare.


	7. Abandoning Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So, Merlin was just about to get his days sorted out, when something like this turns up... Messages from Freya, a joined dream with Arthur and some of his best friends stranded and in trouble with a huge magic army hovering over their heads... Not at all surprising though, really... This is Camelot after all...
> 
> (Bit of an end of Fanfic cliffie here, but will continue in my next fanfic,   
> 'Why Is It Never Quiet On The Western Front...?'  
> Thanks to regular reader and one off readers!!! Hope you enjoy the last chapter!!!)

Merlin found himself in the training fields again, only this time, he knew he was in a dream… a nightmare… Nothing had changed. The bodies still lay there… blood pooled around them… And Arthur was still frozen, shock etched into his features. Time seemed to come to a standstill as Merlin uttered a string of words… A jet of light flew towards Arthur, but in such slow-motion that Merlin could see the individual strands of energy pulsating, wrapped together in a blood red orb. Then he felt something else… some kind of core, empty and inviting. He reached down and saw the crystal… he couldn't remember where he had got it, but it was pulsating… and he knew it could help, if only he could reach it.  
Tim, ever so slowly, started to speed up again and Merlin knew he had little time to take control over his own body… over this invading web of dark magic…  
Then he heard Arthur's voice, slowed by the time-stop, but seeming to last but a split second.  
"Merlin!"  
But the split second was enough. Merlin found himself feeling stronger than he had ever felt before, and lashed out at the darkness within him. Wave after wave of his own magic, layered one on top of the other, swept out from him, gold encompassing red, and red giving in to his will. Being absorbed within him as his own. And vanishing within the crystal at his chest.  
The whole act seemed to last hours, but was, in fact, mere seconds. Then time seemed to start unravelling. Arthur stayed in place, but everything else seemed to go backwards. Gaius and Gwen got to their feet again, flying upwards, and retraced their steps backwards and out of sight. Merlin turned, his magic still flowing around him, and watched as the blood receded around the knights, and they flew upright. Gwaine seemed to catch his eye and was about to speak when Merlin felt himself drifting away… Spinning, he realised Arthur was doing the same thing, and then his magic spun back into his body. For a moment, his whole world was plunged into darkness, before he found himself on the banks of the Lake of Avalon. A young woman stared at him, love evident in her dark eyes, her dark hair whipping about in a wind that seemed to surround only her. The tattered red dress that she had been wearing the last time Merlin had held her, whipped around her body but she didn't seem to pay it any heed.  
"Merlin…"  
"Freya…"  
"Merlin, we don't have much time… The magic of the Old Religion itself is troubled. But now it has begun to heal… You need to believe in yourself. In your ability to control your magic… You begin to believe, enough for you to control it, but not enough for you to embrace it. In time, you will, but you need the help of those who care for you… Come to Avalon Merlin… We have little time now. Come to Avalon…"  
A startled gasp echoed behind him and he spun to see Arthur, looking disorientated. His head seemed to clear.  
"Merlin? What the hell…"  
Freya spoke.  
"Merlin… This is no apparition… the subconscious of both you and your king have been brought together…"  
"Why?"  
"I do not know… the ways of the old religion are clouded… cocooned in secrets and prophesies… You must go Merlin…"  
"But Freya…"  
"Freya?" This was Arthur, who seemed to have got back his bearings, though still held his confusion. "You are Freya?"  
"Yes…"  
"Then I… I killed you…"  
"No… You set me free… Do not let this matter haunt you, Arthur Pendragon. I have long forgiven you… Now you must go. Both of you… Dreams shared are rare, and so you must think upon what this means… what this means for both you and Albion… Come to Avalon, Merlin."  
"Freya…" before Merlin could touch her, she had faded away, and both him and Arthur were shrouded in a mist.  
"Merlin? What the hell is going on?"  
"A shared dream… We should be waking any moment now…"  
"You know how crazy this is, right?"  
"Yeah…"  
Suddenly, a flash of light forced him to shield his eyes, and when he opened them again, he was staring at the ceiling in his rooms. In Camelot.  
Merlin lay there as his mind absorbed what had happened, then rolled over, heading for his wardrobe. Within minutes, he was dressed and racing out of his rooms. He needed to speak to Arthur…

As it was, Merlin didn't get the chance to speak to the king until they had finished saddling the horses and were riding out, ready to meet the Dragons. Merlin and Arthur dropped to the back of the group, and the others seemed to realise that they did not want to be disturbed. Merlin spoke first.  
"Arthur? How much of that dream were you in?"  
"From where I saw… the knights… Did you…?"  
"In a prior nightmare… But it was only my subconscious reflection of my fears… of how I felt I couldn't control my new power… This time, I managed to control it."  
"So… wait… I shared a dream with you… but why?"  
"I think the old religion knew I needed something to help me overcome my fear… Hence your appearance. It worked. I think I have a better grasp of my magic…"  
Arthur was silent for a few minutes as he took everything in, figuring things out, then he spoke up again.  
"But why did it not end there?"  
"For some reason, I have to go to Avalon… To Freya…"  
"So that was her? The girl from a few years ago?"  
"Yes… She hasn't changed a bit…"  
"I'm sorry… I had no idea…"  
"Forget it. We've already been through this. All I know is that I need to head to Avalon, and hopefully soon…"  
"Take as long as you like…" Arthur was quiet for a moment before he spoke again, "So these… shared dreams. How exactly do they work?"  
"I'm not sure. I think it's just our subconscious' joining together… Don't ask me how, I have no idea…"  
"Right… So, basically, this happened to help you overcome your fear of your new powers, and to give you a message?"  
"Pretty much. Yeah."  
"… Fair enough."  
Merlin suddenly burst out laughing, and Arthur looked at him, bemused.  
"What?"  
"Fair Enough? That all you are going to say?" He shook his head, failing to hide his grin, "Sorry… It's just that when I think back to a few months ago, the idea of having magic acting on you whilst you were sleeping would have…"  
"Sent me into an enraged craze spiral… Yeah, I know. Times change."  
Merlin simply shook his head, grinning wildly.

They were silent for a few more moments, and another part of the dream came to the forefront of Merlin's mind. No… surely it wasn't possible… He reached down to the Aurora stone, around his neck, and reached out to it. As his mind came into contact with it, he felt a thrumming energy, and the sheer amount of power in the crystal had him pulling back, shocked.  
"Merlin? What is it?"  
"The stone… there was a moment in the dream where I felt a huge amount of magic go into the stone… I just checked it and… Arthur, the amount of magic in this crystal is… Incredible…"  
"And it all came from you…"  
"I… yeah. I guess…"  
"Then you had better get a handle on this whole 'being more powerful than any other man alive' thing sometime soon…"  
"That what I intend to ask Kilgarrah about."  
"The let's hope he has some answers. I don't want to be sucked into some other god-awful nightmare… Being inside your head… Ugh."  
Merlin scowled,  
"It wasn't inside my head as such…" he grumbled, causing Arthur to smirk.  
"Well, look on the bright side Merlin. If the Brotherhood find out about this, then they won't dare attack…"  
"If I can learn to control it properly. Even a slight increase in power for some spells can have… bad results…"  
"Like what?"  
Merlin's face morphed into a sheepish expression.  
"That bog in Gwaine's room a few weeks ago? That wasn't completely Archie's fault…"  
Arthur laughed,  
"As if I needed any more reminders not to annoy you…" he said grinning,  
"As if. You do nothing but annoy me..." Merlin snorted, and Arthur grinned, but then his face got a more serious look to it.  
"You know you don't have to fight this thing alone, Merlin. I mean, you have Gaius… Kilgarrah… Taren…"  
"It's great to know you care so much, Sire…" Merlin said, with an amused scowl, but he knew what Arthur was trying to say. Honestly though, would it really hurt for the prat to come out and say it?  
Apparently it would, because the stubborn Clot-Pole clicked his heels and his horse sped up.  
"Merlin! I thought you wanted to get there on time?"  
"Prat…"  
"What was that?"  
"Nothing Sire…"

They were stood in the clearing for less than ten minutes before the two Dragons swept down. After nodding, reverently, to Kilgarrah, Arthur and the knights, went over to Aithusa to thank her for her help. Merlin, however, head over to Kilgarrah.  
It took him a matter of minutes to explain his dreams and the message from Freya, and The Great Dragon was silent for a few moments before responding. He chose to speak into Merlin's mind, keeping their conversation private.  
"It would be foolish to ignore the warnings given by the Lady of Avalon Merlin. You must travel there as soon as you get the chance. As for your fears, they are ungrounded. You, yourself, have said that you can sense a greater control over your own magic… And with the aid of an Aurora Stone, you have nothing to fear. I'm afraid I have nothing more for you, young warlock. Go to Avalon, and make use of the druid's gift. It is more of a git than you could ever know."  
"I'd got that much for myself Kilgarrah…" Merlin sighed, "But can you not tell me more about the Crystal?"  
"Search for a volume on the High Priestesses of the Old Religion, and their connections to the Isle of the Blessed. The crystal you hold is rarer than you know Merlin."  
"Do you think Freya will know?"  
"It cannot hurt to ask, Merlin. She is one with Avalon, the core of the old religion. I know little of the creations of men, and not enough to ease your confusion I fear, only enough to provide you with more questions than answers. I believe that Avalon may be your only chance of fully understanding."  
"Yeah… But it'll have to wait until we've cleared the Saxons from the forests…"  
"Merlin!" Arthur strolled over, "You still talking?"  
"I was… Though not any longer it appears…" Merlin replied, and sighed, running a hand through his hair. "We need to clear out the Saxons, the sooner we do that, the sooner I can get to the Lake of Avalon."  
Arthur nodded, knowing Merlin wouldn't leave Camelot at the moment, and sighed.  
"I'll convene a meeting of the round table when we get back. Open the idea up. Hopefully, we'll hear something new from Gwaine and the others either this evening or early tomorrow. They should be reaching the border any time soon."  
"I'll check in with the others when we get back."

Merlin looked over to see that the knights seemed to have finished speaking with Aithusa, and were hanging back, away from Kilgarrah. Those who hadn't seen him before, so basically everyone aside from Bedivere, Peredur and, (strangely enough, seeing as the ast time he had seen the dragon was when it was attacking the Citadel), Leon, were eyeing the huge dragon with wary eyes.  
Merlin felt a small grin spread across his face.  
"Kilgarrah? I believe that you have yet to be acquainted with the majority of the knights within this clearing…? I'm sure Arthur will be pleased to introduce you."  
Arthur smirked as well, at the horrified looks on the men's faces, and nodded.  
"Of course…"  
Merlin head over to Aithusa, and asked how she was.  
"I am perfectly fine, Merlin. Helps that I had a decent sleep and a half decent meal this morning…?"  
Merlin scowled at the insinuated accusation,  
"I'll have you know that I get plenty of sleep. And since when have you been so concerned with a decent diet? Or sleep? You are a dragon…"  
"Who has yet to be tutored in the finer aspects of the polite way to speak, and use the human language by Kilgarrah. Hence my very informal attitude and style of speech with my own tonue, and the formal tongue I use when speaking with the human language... Also, Taren has been worried about your living style… And your irregular sleeping habits… and, as you are my Dragon Lord, I feel obliged to carry on her message, seeing as it is of importance to your health…"  
"That's just… Just…"  
"Err… Merlin? What on earth are you doing?" Bedivere looked completely bemused, and Merlin realised he had been speaking in the dragon tongue. No wonder Aithusa had been so informal… Kilgarrah had taught her only a formal way of speaking in the human tongue, but it didn't inhibit her in her own tongue.  
Merlin grinned, stroking the young dragon on the head.  
"Speaking to Aithusa… In dragon tongue…"  
Leon snorted, shaking his head,  
"Bedivere, we've been over this. He will always be able to surprise you…"

Half an hour later, and they were heading back to Camelot. The knights had rapidly changed their opinions of Kilgarrah, and were now busy discussing the possible advantages of having a dragon on their side during a battle.  
Merlin had joined in the conversation, adding his own knowledge to the pool, and giving the knights enough of a discussion to last them till they got to the lower town. There, Merlin dismounted, along with Arthur, to check on the druids.  
Arthur had grinned as Merlin had been accosted by a group of druid children, who were playing with Camelotian children. Even better, their parents seemed to be getting along just fine too. Whilst Merlin kept the children occupied with small sparks of colour, Arthur head off to Aglain, who had just exited the tunnel.  
"Aglain. Is all well?"  
"Yes Sire… In fact, Arthur, it has turned out better than any of us had dared hope. A few healed injuries and other helpful acts and it appears that the people of Camelot have accepted us."  
"They must be good judges of character. So, are there any problems?"  
"None that we cannot deal with… either ourselves or with the help of the magic users in Camelot."  
Merlin joined them, having left the children to pay amongst themselves. He seemed to have overheard Aglain's last words, and spoke up.  
"Anything I can do?"  
"Thankyou Merlin, but we are fine. As it is, I believe you have troubles enough of your own… Though I believe Taren may be better placed to explain. She has asked me to give you message. Gally received word from the patrol you sent to the border. They have not yet arrived at the post, but have sent a warning. I'm afraid I do not know the details, but I think you should find Taren…"  
"Of course. Thank you Aglain…"

Merlin and Arthur head off to Taren's, arriving to find nearly twenty sorcerers congregating there.  
"Taren?" Merlin looked worried and the sorcerers all tune at the sound of their arrival, relief flooding their expressions.  
"Merlin! Arthur… Thank the gods… We just heard from Holly, one of those we sent with Gwaine and the other patrol," she said, as an explanation to Arthur, "They haven't reached the border yet, but the path they took, took them past the plains… Right now they are staking the place out, until we can get a message back to them."  
"Taren… What did they find?"  
"Wyverns Sire… And Wilddeorn… Cockatrice's… Griffins… Serkets… From what they could tell, they are all under some kind of control, and Holly scanned the area. They found Lucas and dozens of other sorcerers… It's an army… And a big one…"  
For a moment, both Merlin and Arthur were silent, then Merlin spoke up, sighing.  
"Damn… I hate Serkets…"  
"Just the Serkets?" Arthur asked, eyebrows raised.  
"Well… I've defeated the other creatures without too bad an injury… The Serkets actually stung me. It wasn't pleasant…"  
"But… Their poison is…"  
"Deadly. Yeah, I know. Long story… Let's just say I owe Kilgarrah… Anyway, we need to get more men out there. We need to know what is going on…"

Before he could say anything else, Gally froze. After a few moments, he gasped and jumped to his feet.  
"That was Holly. Three Wyverns have caught their movements… The other sorcerers and creatures are too far away to be dangerous, but they're stuck in a cave near to the Cavern Bridge at the foot of the western mountains… Gwaine is injured, and they don't have the ability to heal him…"  
Arthur cursed,  
"We don't have any way of getting to them…"  
Merlin's hand wrapped around the Crystal, which pulsed at the contact with his skin. Could he possibly…?  
He didn't have much of a choice.  
"Arthur? I'll jump there… I should have the energy… Holly can guide me to them, and I can heal Gwaine and help get rid of the Wyverns. Problem is, if the Brotherhood find out we're there…"  
"Merlin…" This was Taren. "Jumping the entire length of the kingdom? That's impossible… You'll kill yourself…" Merlin lay a hand on her shoulder.  
"I can do it. Trust me, I'll be fine… I'm not leaving them to die Taren…" she nodded, still looking disbelieving and doubtful, and Merlin turned to Arthur, who looked shocked.  
"Merlin… What if she is right? The energy it would take..."  
"Arthur, trust me. I can make it. But I may not be able to hold them for long if they discover we are there…"  
"We can be saddled and out by nightfall… And can be there in three days…"  
"Then we'll hold till you get there."  
"Merlin… Are you sure…?"  
"I can't leave them…"  
The King and his Court sorcerer shared a look, and Arthur eventually nodded.  
"Then go. And be careful…"  
Merlin nodded, and vanished.

Merlin took a few minutes to jump to his rooms, grab spare clothes and throw them into his backpack. He then jumped to Gaius's rooms, shouting out what was going on as he raided the medical supplies. Throwing everything into his bag, he hugged Gaius and Alice, who were only just grasping what he was going on about, and jumped back to is room, on a whim. He grabbed his dark blue cloak and also the dagger, that Kilgarrah had breathed fire upon. If ever he would need it, it would be now. He shoved it through his belt, and grabbed the small crossbow contraption from the top of a small table, stuffing it into his bag. After checking everything again, he took a few seconds to gather his energy and reached for the swirling mass of power in the Aurora Stone. He hoped he was right about this, because if he wasn't, the jump would, most-likely, kill him.  
He grasped the stone and opened himself up to the flow inside of it, tuning in on the tracking imprint he had left on Gwaine.  
It was now or never. As he locked onto the imprint, Merlin felt everything shift, and he was gone…


End file.
